Expecting
by NorthernxDownpour
Summary: "She was willing to be his anything, so that he could be her everything." Genderswap  girl!  Reid x Hotch story. Spencer gets the surprise of her life. The trials and turbulence of pregnancy ensue.
1. Chapter 1

******A/N: **

Hello there!

In the midst of writing the newest addition to my Reid/Morgan story, I thought I'd begin to re-write a Reid/Hotch piece that was ruined in the horrible, evil computer crash. It's a little different, but I'm pretty proud of it. The former piece was already 36,000 words but I wanted to try posting the re-write chapter by chapter. If y'all don't like it, I won't continue. Like I said, I'm pretty proud of it...but if it's hated by all of the Criminal Minds fanfiction world I will keep it to myself.

So please, read and review! I appreciate honest opinions, but don't slay me please. Respectful constructive criticism? Thanks.

Oh, also, I don't have a beta for my stories, so please point out obvious mistakes. I will fix them(:

~NorthernxDownpour

* * *

><p><strong>One<strong>

_Positive_

_Pregnant_

_Congrats! _

There's even one with a smiley face on it. Spencer grimaces at that one and throws it across the bathroom from where she sits on her porcelain throne, boxer shorts around her ankles. It clamors against the tile floor, the sound ringing in her ears. She looks at the boxes littered around her bathroom, the pile of positive pregnancy tests in the trash barrel next to her, and puts her head in her hands.

This is real.

She's going to have a baby.

She's going to have _Aaron Hotchner's_ baby.

A sick feeling coils in her stomach and she has to keep from throwing up. She thinks that she's having the wrong reaction. Aren't women supposed to be happy—fucking _ecstatic_—when they find out they're having a baby? That's the impression she's always been under. But right now, all she's feeling is dread.

It's not like Aaron's going to be mad or anything, they've been dating for almost a year now. But Aaron loves his job. He loves his job too much, and that's what caused the decline of his first marriage. He had hardly been in Jack's life when the boy was growing up, and Spencer didn't want that to be the same case for another child.

If she's being honest with herself, she loves her job too, and doesn't think she could give it up to raise a baby.

For a minute, she has the nauseating thought that she could take care of this the good old controversial way. But if Aaron ever found out he'd never forgive her…hell, _she'd _never forgive herself.

And so she's fucked.

Well actually, she's been fucked and now she's having a kid (Spencer will never get sick of her humor).

But in all seriousness, she doesn't know what to do. Usually she has all the answers to everything. But right now, she has no clue. And she's scared.

So she does the first thing she can think of.

"Jennifer Jareau," JJ picks up on the second ring.

"Jay?"

"Spence! What's wrong?" The concern in JJ's tone seeps through the phone.

"Could you…come over?" Spencer asks quietly and it's like razor blades coming up her throat. Spencer Reid never asks for help. Ever. Even when she needs it the most.

JJ is shocked and even more alarmed when she says, "I'll be there in ten minutes" and hangs up.

Spencer is pacing in her living room when there's a knock at her door. She knows it's JJ but she checks the peep-hole just in case before unlocking it and letting the blonde in.

"Spence, what's wrong?" JJ sets her bag down on the couch and turns to face her friend. Her expression is the definition of worried and she is playing with her hands, wringing them and rubbing them against her thighs. Spencer feels bad; she's caused this minor freak-out in her friend, but the freak-out she's having is ten times worse.

"I…" Spencer begins, feeling her skin become clammy and her throat tighten. She hasn't said this out loud yet. She doesn't know if she can say it out loud. So instead she walks into the bathroom and picks up the pregnancy test with the stupid smiley face on it.

"Spence…" JJ follows her and when Spencer turns around and hands it to her, JJ stares in disbelief. "Oh shit," she says.

"Mhm," Spencer nods.

"Oh _shit_!" JJ is the only one who knows about Aaron and Spencer's relationship, and that's only because she walked in on them in his office one night, when they thought everyone had left. She had only wanted to discuss some paperwork with Aaron but instead found him with Spencer on his desk and his tongue down her throat. Despite being scarred for life, she had promised to keep it a secret.

"I know Jay-je." Spencer shakes her head, "I don't know what to do." The thickening of her voice, obviously caused by unshed tears, is foreign to her. She feels her eyes begin to burn, tears escaping, and a sob hitches in her throat.

"Oh honey," JJ wraps her up in her arms, "It's scary, I know."

Spencer sniffles into her shoulder, "I can't tell Aaron,"

"Honey, you have to."

"This will ruin everything."

"No, no it won't!" JJ holds her friend at arms-length and stares into her eyes with a reassuring smile, "I promise you, it won't ruin anything. I know it's scary now, I mean, do you know how reluctant I was to tell Will, especially with the whole long-distance thing."

"It's not that I'm scared," Spencer begins and okay, that's the biggest lie of the century, "It's just that…he loves his job. Remember the first time he was having a kid? How uninvolved he was in Jack's life?"

JJ makes a sympathetic noise but then says, "But since Hayley and all, he's been such a great dad to Jack. I think he'd try to do better the second time around."

Spencer opens her mouth to say something (what, she doesn't know seeing as she's a little lost for words right now) when JJ's phone goes off.

"Hold that thought," JJ apologizes and pulls out her phone, "Jennifer Jareau. Mhm…mhmm…_shit_," the profanity is whispered under JJ's breath, and it leads Spencer to believe something is very wrong; "We'll be out there by this evening. See you then." JJ hangs up and looks at Spencer. "You should get dressed and grab your go-bag…Topeka police just found seven bodies that were stirred up after a tornado that hit last night."

"_Shit_!" Spencer repeats JJ's curse and heads into her bedroom. JJ follows her and stands in the doorway.

"Everything is going to be fine, honey."

Spencer is in the middle of finding a pair of clean pants. She looks up at JJ, having forgotten all about her predicament for the moment, "Jay, please. Please don't tell Aaron," she whispers.

"I won't, I promise," JJ swears, drawing an 'X' over her heart, "Cross my heart."

"Thank you,"

"Get ready, I'll be in my car."

Spencer nods and continues to get dressed. When she hears JJ close her apartment door, she sits down on the edge of the bed and allows herself to cry alone, but only for a minute.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

Hello! Hi! Thank you, anyone, who is reading this authors note right now! That means you are about to read my story, and that makes me smile.

So this chapter is mostly about the case they're working on, and the profile and what not. And I must admit that, as much as I watch the show...I can't say I'm too great at writing things like that. So please don't judge it too hard. I tried!

So yeah, that's all for now I guess. Please enjoy it and thank you to those who shared your opinion of the first chapter!

~ NorthernxDownpour

(P.S. the lack-of-a-beta comment still applies: if you find UBER BIG mistakes, please point them out so I can fix them! Thanks)

* * *

><p><strong>Two <strong>

They go straight to the airport. It's not often that JJ accepts a case right over the phone, but when she does, Spencer knows it's urgent. When they arrive, everyone is getting out of their car. Prentiss is grabbing her go-bag out of her trunk and Rossi is doing the same whereas Morgan is wrapping Garcia, who always stops by the airport to say goodbye to her team, up in a huge hug. Aaron is nowhere to be seen (at the moment), and Spencer lets out a small sigh of relief.

JJ puts the car in park and shuts it off, "I'll brief you all on the plane in two minutes, we take off in five."

"Okay," Spencer nods. JJ puts a reassuring hand on her knee for a moment before she gets out. Spencer sits in the passenger seat for a minute, watching as everyone heads onto the plane. She takes three deep, long breaths before she gets out, grabs her go-bag from the backseat, and locks the car from the inside before closing the door and heading to the plane.

She's home free, about to climb the steps when there's a warm hand on her shoulder, and _fuck her life _right now.

"Spencer,"

"Not now, Aaron." She keeps her voice low.

"I just wanted to say hi,"

She turns around to face him, "Hello." Aaron leans in for a quick kiss but Spencer puts her hand up, keeping him away. "I said, not now." She mutters and boards the plane.

Exasperatedly Aaron says, "_Spencer_!" but she ignores him, instead finding a seat next to Morgan and setting her bag down by her feet. Aaron steps on a few moments later and sits across from Spencer and gives her a pointed look, letting her know she's not off the hook. She rolls her eyes, hopes he sees, and then listens to JJ as she pulls out her phone.

"I don't have case files for you; I've forwarded what Topeka police sent to me, to you." She begins, scrolling down on the touch screen of her iPhone. Prentiss, Morgan and Aaron pull theirs out, Rossi takes out his Droid. Spencer decides to just sit there and listen. It's not that she can't use technology; she just hasn't felt like going into the store and upgrading her phone yet. "Seven bodies found this morning, all of them are fresh. They're assuming one victim was killed each day of the week, last week. Cause of death for each victim was blunt force trauma to the head."

"What stressor could possibly cause the unsub to kill daily, for a week?" Morgan asks, trying to process everything.

"Especially if this is his first time killing," Prentiss pipes in.

"We don't know he hasn't done this before though," Reid asks, "I mean maybe he kills on a schedule? One week every month? Every year? Every five years? For all we know it could be a cycle."

"Well if it is, then how do we know we'll even catch the unsub?" Rossi says thoughtfully.

They continue to discuss the case, when Spencer gets thirsty. She needs some water and realizes she forgot to bring hers. So she gets up to go grab one of the bottles in the fridge. "I'll be right back," she says standing up.

"Reid, may I speak with you please?" Aaron stands up as well and Spencer nods.

"Of course," She motions towards the back of the plane where the fridge is, and where they will have a quiet space to talk. She makes her way down there, Aaron following close behind.

"What was that earlier?" Aaron leans against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest.

"What was what earlier?" Spencer stands up from where she had been crouching down to grab her water.

"You know what I'm talking about." He arches his eyebrow at her. Yes, she does know what he's talking about. But the fear of facing him she'd felt before, has turned more into wanting to push his buttons. So that's what she'll do.

"No…" She opens the bottle and takes a sip, "You mean when I asked if maybe the unsub is on a cycle?"

"_Spencer!_" Spencer smirks to herself as Aaron drawls out her name, un-amused. "Why wouldn't you let me kiss you?"

"Oh that," Spencer says and can't help the pleasure she feels seeing Aaron's jaw tighten a little. He needs to be fucked with like that once in a while; he's too damn serious all the time. "I didn't want the team to see us."

"They wouldn't have seen us."

"I have bad breath right now."

"You know I don't care."

"I didn't feel like it, okay?"

"What're you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Because that's so believable." Aaron rolls his eyes.

"Let's just get back to the case," Spencer tries to walk by him but Aaron steps in her way.

"What aren't you telling me?" Aaron asks, "In the course of our relationship you've never acted like this."

It's true. Spencer has been the most honest and most open ever in her life, with Aaron. She's never kept anything from him, probably because she's never had a reason to hide or keep secrets. She just hates that he can tell she's acting strange, so easily.

"It's nothing that you need to know right now." She sighs and _dammit! _How he gets things out of Spencer so easily, she will never know. The dread comes back and she feels sick.

"But there is something."

"No, there isn't anything." Suddenly she's defensive again, "Just…just don't worry, everything's fine." She pushes him out of the way, "Just focus on the case."

Storming past him she returns to her seat and jumps back into the conversation. Aaron returns to his seat as well, and though Spencer can feel his eyes on her, she makes a point not to look at him the rest of the flight.

oOo

The police station is in turmoil when they arrive.

"You the FBI?" A stocky man in a pair of grey twill pants and a blue button up, with nice sweat stains under the armpits, asks. Spencer crinkles her nose at the sight.

"Yes, Jennifer Jareau," JJ sticks her hand out, "Liaison for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, did we speak on the phone?"

"No, that wasn't me," The guy shakes his head, "That was my boss. I'm Detective Arthur, you spoke to Detective Kent. But he's out right now…they found another body."

And that explains the disorder at the station.

"Where was it found?" Aaron asks, and then says, "SSA Aaron Hotchner," Sticking his hand out. "This is SSA Rossi, SSA Prentiss, SSA Morgan and SSA Reid," he points to each one of his team.

Detective Arthur shakes his hand and says, "The body was found at the original crime scene. We're thinking he dumped it sometime last night."

"That's pretty bold of him," Reid says thoughtfully.

Aaron nods and then turns to his team, "Prentiss, Morgan, you go to the crime scene. JJ is talking to the families and Reid, Rossi and I will stay here to work on victimology."

"Alright," Morgan nods and then looks at Detective Arthur, "Could you bring us to the scene?"

"Of course," He nods and Spencer is glad to see those sweat stains go. "Follow me," He leads them out of the station. JJ scurries off, going to find the families of the victims, and Reid and Rossi look to Aaron for the next step.

"Let's find a conference room and get case files." He says and they're off, finding a place to do their work.

Once they're set up, Reid grabs a victim file and begins to read through it. Rossi does the same and so does Aaron. By the third one Reid flips through her stomach feels queasy from looking at the crime scene photos.

It's been around an hour and they've been making their own hypothesizes about the unsub. Rossi pipes up, breaking the silence in the room, and sharing his thoughts, "The victims are all random. Different genders, races, hair color…"

"I think that this is a cry for help." Reid states.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asks looking at her over the brim of the case file he's got in his hands.

"I think that this is the unsub's first time killing and I think it's because he's suffering from a mental break. He can't control himself anymore, he has to kill, but the rate at which he's killing and the brashness he showed by dumping an eighth body at the crime scene…I think he doesn't want to be like this. He wants us to catch him, so he's doing risky things."

"That's why there's no pattern in victimology. He kills whoever he can get his hands on." Rossi nods.

"Also, in the first few victims there are tentative strikes to the head." Aaron flips the case file around and points to a couple of shallow wounds on the first victim's head, "It wasn't until the third or fourth blow that he hit hard enough to kill. He's younger. These are the first urges he's acted on since he was a kid." Rossi and Spencer know what he means by that: this is the first time he's acted on his urges since he's hurt animals as a kid.

Just then Morgan and Prentiss return with a different detective. This guy is taller and thinner than Detective Arthur, with short, grey hair and a weary expression.

"You must be the rest of the FBI?" He asks, "I'm Detective Kent, thanks for coming out on such short notice."

"Not a problem," Aaron stands up and shakes his hand, "I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, and this is SSA Rossi and SSA Reid." Detective Kent nods to them.

"Hotch, we think the unsub might be a student at the university." Morgan reports to his boss.

"We were thinking something similar," Aaron replies, "What did you find?"

"We found this," Prentiss shows him an evidence bag with a piece of navy fabric on it. There's the beginning of a letter—Y, maybe W? Spencer can't tell exactly—in the corner of the fabric. "Washburn University is right in Topkea."

Aaron nods, "I think we're ready to come up with a profile."

oOo

"We're looking for a student at the university," Aaron begins to talk to the police men and women gathered to listen to their announcement.

"Either a freshman or a sophomore, it's possible that he may be a junior but not a senior." Morgan adds, "This is the work of somebody younger, out of control."

"He is most likely suffering from a mental breakdown and therefore is not in his right mind. However we think he is trying to be caught by the police. He doesn't want to be like this," Prentiss continues.

"This doesn't mean if he's caught he won't put up a fight though," Reid cautions, "He's still highly dangerous if he's suffering from a breakdown. Don't try to reason with him and don't say anything to aggravate him. If he feels cornered he will trust these new instincts that he's feeling to get out of his situation."

"That's all for now," Aaron nods, "Thanks for your time."

As the police people disperse, JJ approaches Spencer and pulls her aside, "Spence,"

"Yeah Jay-je?"

"Have you eaten anything? Had any water to drink?"

Spencer hasn't. She never does when she's working. She's always too involved in the case. "No," she admits.

JJ tugs her sleeve and brings her over to the corner where no one can hear them, "Pregnancy 101, you're taking care of two people right now; you and the baby. You need to remember to eat and hydrate not only for your sake but for the baby's too,"

"Alright," Spencer nods, "I'll ask Detective Kent if there's a place I can get something to eat around here…" she stops when JJ hands her a Luna bar.

"I always have one on hand. Eat it," JJ smiles.

"You're cute," Spencer mutters and takes it, peeling the wrapper off the bar and taking a bite.

"There! Food, now water…"

She heads over to where Detective Kent is talking to Aaron and Spencer watches as she kindly interrupts and asks for a bottle of water. Detective Kent waves Detective Arthur over and says something to him before the stocky man is off, most likely to retrieve what JJ has asked for. When he returns he has a bottle of Poland Springs in his hand and JJ thanks him graciously before returning to Spencer.

"I'm good," She laughs and gives it to her friend, "Drink up,"

"Gee thanks," Spencer takes the cap off and takes a sip of water. She didn't realize how thirsty she was when she and Aaron and Rossi were cooped up in the conference room looking through files. She downs a good amount of the water in only a few sips.

"Good. Now that you have some food and water in you, my mind is a little calmer. I'm going to keep my eye out on you while we're here and when we get back I'm taking you shopping for baby books."

"Sssh! Jay, not so loud!" Spencer freaks for a moment when she thinks Aaron has heard them, but he doesn't turn around so she sighs in relief, "Okay, okay you can take me to get baby books, that's fine." JJ is staring at her with an unreadable response. "What?" Spencer hisses.

JJ glances over at Aaron and then looks back at Spencer, "You're going to have to tell him sooner or later, you know that right?"

"Yes, I know that." Spencer almost snarls, and she feels bad. JJ is only trying to help. Softening her tone she says, "I'm just trying to come to terms with it fully myself, before I tell him, ya know?"

JJ nods and then suddenly Derek's call of, "Hotch, Penelope's got something!" has JJ and Spencer approaching their teammate where he stands in the corner on the phone with his 'baby girl'. "Girl, you're on speaker," Morgan warns her and Garcia giggles.

"So I have to stop saying dirty things?" she laughs and then when she hears Hotch's disapproving snort she mutters, "Sorry sir. Anyway! I looked through Washburn U's list of enrolled freshman and sophomores and cross referenced it with kids who may have gotten in trouble with the law when they were younger…"

"What did you find?" Aaron asks.

"There are three kiddos you might want to take a look at. I've emailed you their names, but my money is on a Mister Joseph Cooper, eighteen years young. When he was younger he was accused of killing his neighbor's dog."

Spencer sees JJ cringe and Prentiss shake he head. She herself feels sick hearing that.

"He said it was an accident, but they still called the cops on him. I guess they believed his story but…oh puppy," They hear Garcia sigh, and no one wants to know how he killed the dog.

"You said his name was Joseph Cooper?" Aaron asks.

"Yes sir, emailed you the information."

"Thanks Garcia," Aaron says and walks away to let Morgan say his silly goodbye to his friend.

Spencer follows Aaron who meets up with Rossi and Prentiss to tell them about what Garcia has found. They wait for Morgan and JJ to join them and then Aaron assigns them to the three different characters Garcia has sent them information about.

"…and Reid, you and I will look for Cooper."

"Of course," Spencer mutters.

"Hmm?" Aaron asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"I said, great, let's go." She lies as she brushes past him and goes outside to where the usual SUVs they drive around in are parked. She gets into the passenger seat of one and waits for Aaron to come join her. They're the only two going onto the campus; the others are going to a frat house where their other suspects live.

Aaron opens the driver's side door and slides in; sticking the keys he was given into the ignition. He puts the truck into drive and they're on their way. The ride is silent for the first few minutes until Aaron looks over at her.

"I think I know what's going on." He says.

"You," Spencer begins, feeling her heart begin to race, "You do?"

"Yeah," He nods. "And it's okay Spencer, I get it."

"I just didn't want…"

"You didn't want the team to know," Aaron finishes for her.

"What?" She blurts out.

"About us," He specifies, "I understand you like your privacy, and I don't think the team deserves to know my private life either…but I think we can tell them about our relationship. It's almost been a year."

"I…yeah…I agree." She takes a deep breath. He doesn't know what's really on her mind…what's really been bothering her today…what's changing inside of her body.

Aaron flicks his blinker on and makes a turn onto the campus. He glances over at her for a quick second again and then covers one of her hands with his bigger, warmer one. "I love you, you know that right?" He pulls into a parking spot, puts the car in park, and looks at her.

"I know," She nods and forces a smile.

"I feel like I don't tell you enough."

"It's okay," Spencer assures him, "I know you do…I love you, too."

Aaron grins and leans in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Spencer kisses him back and lets him cup her face, tilting it up to meet his lips better.

She just hopes he doesn't realize her heart's not that into it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

It's Cooper.

Spencer and Aaron find that one out when they go to question him, and he's sitting in the window of his dorm room, ready to let his body fall.

Spencer has to talk him down, letting him know that it's not his fault that he's the way that he is, and that there are ways he can get help. Spencer almost cries, as she cuffs him, and he declares, "I don't want to live like this. Why didn't you just let me jump?"

Once he's in the back of the police cruiser, Spencer leans against one of the black SUVs and wipes her eyes. Emily comes over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Spencer, are you alright?"

Spencer shakes her head a bit and says, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "He asked me why I didn't let him jump, Em."

"Oh Spencer," Emily rubs her shoulder, "He'll get help,"

"I know," Spencer nods, "It's just that…I know what it's like."

"To be a serial killer?" Emily cocks an eyebrow at her.

"No," Spencer takes a deep breath, "To be afraid of your mind," She admits.

Emily lets out a noise of sympathy and wraps her in a hug. Spencer hugs back, and she lets her tears fall silently.

oOo

Spencer curls herself up on the couch when they're back on the jet. She thinks she's falling in and out of sleep because one minute she's shivering at the gust of cool air coming at her and the next she's snuggling into the warmth of a blanket that has been draped over her, and she can't remember getting up and getting in.

She mentally thanks whoever did that for her, probably Aaron, and lets herself keep going in between the state of consciousness and sleep.

There's a soft yet firm tap on her leg and she startles awake, looking up into Derek's soft, brown eyes. "Hey girl," Derek smiles, "We're home."

"Oh, okay," Spencer sits up and stretches, playfully reaching out and hitting Derek's shoulder from where he's crouched down next to her.

"Hey!" He laughs and pretends to put his dukes up. When he puts them down, the expression on his face changes, "I miss you chica,"

Spencer smiles at his nickname for her. She's not his 'babygirl' but they've been best friends for a while. She's his 'chica'.

"I miss you too," she says.

"You're never free to hang out anymore…do you have a new boyfriend you haven't told me about?" Spencer stays quiet a little too long, "You do! Aw chica, why haven't I heard about this yet?"

"It's been complicated,"

"Anything you need me to take care of for you?"

Spencer pictures Derek confronting Aaron and laughs, "No, it's okay Der."

"If you're sure," Derek raises an eyebrow, "You just let me know if things change, okay?"

"Alright," Spencer laughs and then stands up. Derek stands up too, and Spencer wraps her arms around him, "You're the best,"

Derek hugs her back and laughs, "Yeah well, what can I say?"

"So modest too," Spencer gives him another playful punch on the shoulder and picks up her go-bag. "Dinner sometime soon? On me. It's the least I can do for being such a bad friend."

"Just let me know when," Derek grins.

"See you Monday," She gets off the plane and realizes that everyone is gone, except Aaron. He's sitting in his truck, waiting for her most likely. She goes over and opens the passenger's side door, "You're not going to the office tonight?"

Aaron looks up from his iPhone and shakes his head, "I was thinking we could spend the night together? Jessica is keeping Jack for the rest of the weekend. She loves spending time with him."

Spencer thinks for a minute and then looks over her shoulder to see that Derek has gotten into his car, and is pulling out of the parking lot. She'll need a ride home whether she wants to stay with him or not. She figures it can't hurt if she does sleep over at his apartment. "Sure,"

"Sure?"

"Yes," Spencer gets into the truck and puts her bag down, buckling up, "I'll spend the night at your place."

"Great," Aaron smiles and Spencer matches the gesture. She leans back in the soft leather chair of his Range Rover and watches the scenery as it changes around her. It's a familiar ride. It's probably the same ride she took the night the baby was conceived.

_The baby_.

Spencer has this habit of forgetting about it for a bit, and when it comes back to mind she feels sick. She should tell him. She should tell him now. Just to get things over with, just to clear her mind.

But she doesn't. She sits there, her hands in her lap, looking out the window for the rest of the ride to Aaron's place. When they get there, she hops out, choosing to just leave her bag in his truck, and follows him into the building. They go up the elevator and step out onto his floor walking down the hall and turning to his apartment.

Aaron unlocks the door and has Spencer wait while he makes sure no one's inside. It's a neurosis he's acquired since the Reaper broke into his apartment. Spencer's used to it.

Aaron comes back out and takes her by the hand, leading her into the apartment and closes the door behind them, locking the deadbolt and two chain locks he'd installed after he and Jack moved in. He then wraps an arm around her waist and leans in for a kiss.

Spencer obliges for a couple of chaste kisses, but once Aaron is trying to snake his tongue in between her lips, she pulls back and says, "It's late."

Aaron lets his arm fall and he scrubs a hand over his face, "Spencer what am I doing wrong?"

"You're not doing anything wrong," She says, heading to the bedroom to steal one of his tees.

"Then why are you acting like this? You've been so on and off with me all day!"

Spencer returns from his bedroom and goes into the bathroom, shirt in hand, "I'm a woman, what can I say? Aren't we supposed to have mood swings like this?"

"Ha-ha," Aaron deadpans, "Because it's normal for you to say something like that." He goes to the bathroom and leans in the doorway while she brushes her teeth with her toothbrush that has taken residence in the holder next to Aaron and Jack's.

"Mmm juss hammmin m bamm dam," Spencer looks at him through the mirror above the sink.

"What?"

Spencer spits and washes her mouth out with water, "I'm just having a bad day, alright?"

Aaron clenches his jaw and stares ahead, not meeting her eyes in the mirror. Finally he sighs, "Alright."

Spencer figures she'll give him something, and takes her pants and shirt off right there in front of him, kicking them aside. She sheds her bra, too, throwing it into the pile, and then puts his oversize shirt on. "Can we just go to bed?"

He nods and lets her by, stepping to take her spot in front of the sink so he can get himself ready for bed too. She goes into the bedroom and slides back the covers on 'her' side of the bed. Another one of Aaron's quirks is that he always sleeps closer to the door, even when he stays at Spencer's for the night, so she's by the windows.

She slides under the sheets and curls up on her side, looking out to see the night sky. By the time Aaron gets in next to her and turns off the light, she's almost asleep. She can feel him wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"I love you," Aaron whispers into her ear.

Spencer falls asleep with a smile on her lips.

oOo

Spencer wakes up because she has to puke.

She has to puke _now_.

She claws her way out from under the sheets and comforter, and possibly even Aaron's arms, and she races to the bathroom. She is able to lift the lid but not the seat of the toilet before she is on her knees, hurling into the water. She hasn't eaten since the Luna bar, so it's just granola and bile coming out. The feeling of the acid sliding up burns her throat and tears fall from her eyes as she hurls.

Then there's the feeling of a hand on her back; a big, strong, warm hand that rubs slow, soothing circles as the other one pulls her messy hair from her face, and holds it as she spews.

"It's okay baby," Aaron whispers in her ear, and Jesus Christ. The word 'baby' makes Spencer let out more.

After what seems like forever, Spencer's stomach finally calms, and she sits back on her haunches wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Aaron stands up and grabs one of the small paper cups next to the sink, fills it with water, and hands it to her. Spencer sits against the wall and takes a sip, washing away the bad taste in her mouth.

After flushing the toilet, Aaron sits down next to Spencer and looks over at her. Spencer rests her head against the wall and closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath and opens her mouth.

"So, I'm pregnant."

Aaron lets out a gust of air, like he's been punched in the gut, "You're what?"

"I'm pregnant." She lolls her head over to look him in the eyes and lets out a weak, bitter smile, "Surprise."

"Spencer," Aaron begins and his expression is unreadable for a moment before he cracks a grin, "Spencer!" He kisses her, despite the fact that she's just puked. "This is…oh my God this is the best news!"

"You mean…you're not mad?" Spencer asks, puzzled.

"Mad?" Aaron asks and he sounds scandalized, "Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know," she admits sheepishly, "I just thought that…"

And Aaron gets it. He looks a little hurt when he says, "You thought that I wouldn't want to give up my job for a baby."

"No, no!" Spencer tries to lie, but Aaron looks at her pointedly. "Well…yeah,"

"I know that's what drove Haley to want a divorce; my job, and the fact that I was never there for Jack. But Spencer, I don't want to make that mistake again. I am so excited that we're having a baby, and you need to know that I will do anything for you, and our child, even if that means quitting work."

"Oh, Aaron..." Spencer begins, her lip quivering, and instead of letting herself cry by continuing she just kisses him again. She can't even express how happy she is right now, how much joy is running through her, so she hopes that the kiss can somehow sum it all up.

When they pull apart Aaron keeps his hand on her cheek, "I love you…I love you so much!"

"I love you too," Spencer says and the tears begin to fall.

She's sitting on his bathroom floor, crying her eyes out, her hair falling into her eyes and sticking to her sweaty forehead...and she's pregnant...

They're pregnant.

They're in this together, and for the rest of their lives.

Spencer lifts the toilet seat, and pukes again.

"I guess I've got to get used to this...again," Aaron says as he holds her hair for a second time.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

Hi there! I'm back!

Not that I was gone, I was just updating my other fic like nobody's buisness.

I've decided though, that I want to take a few weeks now to focus on the progress of this story. As I said before, this story at one point was 36,000 words. But then the draft was deleted. So it's time to power-write!

I changed the rating of this story from T to M. When I originally wrote the draft, there were very graphic love scenes between Aaron and Spencer. And while I know not everyone likes to read that, it made the story so much more sensual and tender. Which I'm looking to do. SO! I'm not PG-13ing this story anymore. It's officially an M rated story. If that's going to bother you...sorry :/ I still love you for giving the fic a chance.

Yay! Now that we're done with that part, here's the fourth chapter! More to come! Keep your eyes peeled!

~NxD.

* * *

><p><strong>Four<strong>

"Jack, Spencer and I have something we want to talk to you about."

Jack is fidgeting from where he's sitting across from Aaron and Spencer in a matching diner booth. Spencer knows he just wants to play with the two action figures he has concealed in his pocket, but Aaron made him promise that he'd listen to their big announcement before he did.

Spencer and Aaron have known about the pregnancy for two weeks now, and they've managed to keep it a secret for this long. Aaron pulled a few strings, talked to some people, and they're going in for the first (of many) obstetric appointments with the same OB he had seen with Haley—who just so happens to be the best and busiest OB in the area.

So now they're going break the ice to Jack beforehand, and with food.

"What is it daddy?" Jack asks, genuinely curious now that Aaron has used his 'no-funny-business' tone.

Spencer starts off by saying softly, "Jack you know that I love you and your daddy very much, right? I am so happy that you allowed me to become part of your family,"

"And you see Jack, sometimes after a family is broken, it goes on to repair itself and make a new family," Aaron picks up, "Our family was broken after mommy died. But after a while we allowed Spencer to become part of our family."

"I like that Spencer's a part of our family," Jack says with a grin on his face, "I love you Spencer!"

"I love you too, buddy," Spencer smiles widely at the boy.

"And I love both of you, very, very much," Aaron puts his hand on Spencer's shoulder and reaches over to muss Jack's hair, "Which is why I'm so glad you are my family now. The thing about families though, is that they grow. When people love each other, they want to share that love with somebody else. They want to pass on that love to somebody else."

"So they have babies!" Jack exclaims excitedly, "My friend Liam's mom is having a baby, and that's what she told us!"

"That's right!" Aaron nods, "Liam's parents love each other very much, and Liam loves them. But they need someone else to share so much love with! So they're having another baby so they can give it all the love and happiness that they are feeling!"

"Jack, your dad and I love you very much, and we know you love us. We want all three of us to share that love with another special person!" Spencer holds Aaron's hand under the table.

"What if I told you, you could have a baby brother or sister?"

"What?!" Jack practically shouts and he bounces up and down in his seat, "Are we getting a baby today?"

Spencer can't help herself; she throws her head back and laughs at Jack's childish innocence and reaches out to take his hand, "No Jack, we're not getting a baby today, you can't just buy them at the store! But, we are going to have a new baby soon."

"Are you going to have a baby?" Jack asks, his eyes wide with realization, and Spencer nods.

"Yippee!" Jack actually stands up and jumps, and then throws his arms carefully around Spencer's neck, giving her a big hug while avoiding and hard contact with her stomach, "Spencer! You're having a baby!"

Spencer laughs and returns the hug, pressing a big kiss to Jack's forehead, "I am."

"Is it a boy? Or is it a girl? Liam's mom is having a boy, so he's obviously going to love Spiderman like me and Liam. Can our baby be a boy and love Spiderman too?"

Aaron chuckles and rubs Spencer's shoulder where his hand still rests, "That's the thing buddy, we don't know whether it's a boy or a girl, and we can't just wish for it to be one or the other."

"We can't?" Jack asks, obviously a bit crushed.

"Unfortunately, no," Spencer shakes her head but pulls him into her lap, the three of them now squeezed into the diner booth like a family, "But, we can cross our fingers and hope! And you know, whether you end up having a brother or sister, you will still be their brother, and you can introduce him or her to Spiderman."

"I can teach him, or her, all about Spiderman? And read the comics to them, and watch the cartoon with them, and let them play with my action figures?"

"Of course!" Spencer nods enthusiastically, "But I think it would be better for you to show him or her your action figures only at first. That way she or he can watch you and learn how to play with them, so when their old enough, they'll know exactly how to do it!"

Jack thinks about this for a moment before he says, "You're right! I will show my new baby brother how to play with action figures so when he's seven he'll know how to be perfect at it!"

Aaron throws his head back and lets out a genuine laugh. Spencer and Jack both look at him questioningly, "What?" Aaron asks.

"You're so happy," Spencer says with nothing but adoration in her voice and eyes.

"My girlfriend is having my child, and my son is just as excited as I am! How can I not be happy?"

Spencer smiles warmly and leans over to press a kiss to Aaron's lips. Aaron kisses back and Jack makes a noise before scrambling off of Spencer's lap and sliding back into the other side of the booth. Covering his eyes with his hands and letting out a laugh he says, "Ewww! Yuck."

Spencer and Aaron take the other's hand under the table and Aaron gives her smaller one a tight squeeze. It's reassurance. They're in this together now, they're following through with it. And everything will be okay. She squeezes back and rubs her thumb along the back of his hand.

_I know, _is what she hopes the gesture says.

Doctor Melissa Campbell is known for being one of the best Obstetricians in the DC area. It's no wonder that this is who Haley saw and who Aaron referred JJ to.

According to Aaron she had been a huge part of the Hotchner's life when Haley was pregnant, always making sure everything was going alright, even when they weren't schedule for an appointment; she'd call at least once a week to check in. She was crushed when Haley had died, sending Aaron a sympathy card and bringing over dinner on several occasions. This makes Spencer feel a bit better; she's not just a doctor. She's someone you can count on.

Spencer is sitting on the examination chair, her feet dangling off the side, while Aaron and Jack sit in two chairs next to the door. They're in the middle of an intense I-spy game when she knocks on the door, opening it and stepping in.

She's a tall woman, taller than Spencer who stands at 5'6", and she has short, gray hair and warm, brown eyes. Her voice is strong and clear but kind when she says, "Welcome Spencer," and then turns to Aaron, "Nice to see you again Aaron."

"Nice to see you too, Dr. Campbell. Thank you for squeezing us in last minute."

"Well it's not every day that I get a call from one of my former patients," she glances down at Jack, "I haven't seen you since you were just a little baby."

"Jack, this is Dr. Campbell, she helped mommy out when you were growing in her tummy," Aaron says softly to Jack, who is being shy and hiding his face in Aaron's shoulder.

"Hi," Jack says cautiously and sticks his hand out for a handshake, "It's nice to meet you,"

Dr. Campbell laughs and shakes Jack's hand, "The pleasure is all mine! What a polite young man you are, I bet your dad and Spencer helped with that,"

Jack nods, "Yeah, dad always makes me say please and thank you—even to the bus driver!"

"Well, it's not every day that the bus drive hears 'thank you,'" Dr. Campbell says, "Your dad is right, it's polite to say it! Sometimes I have patients that don't thank me after an appointment and it makes me feel sad."

"Really?" Jack asks and frowns when she nods.

"Yeah, it does. So be sure to keep being polite to everyone, okay Jack?"

"Okay!"

With one last chuckle, Dr. Campbell ruffles Jack's hair, and gives Aaron a quick handshake, before stepping over to Spencer, "Now here's the woman of the hour!" she smiles, "I'm Doctor Melissa Campbell, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice you meet you too," Spencer exchanges a handshake and listens as Dr. Campbell begins to run through some of the introduction stuff. In the end, the summary is: congratulations, you're going to push a watermelon out of your body and I'm going to poke and prod at you for nine months before you do that.

After the spiel, Dr. Campbell does a few doctor-esque things: she takes Spencer's height and weight and then checks her blood pressure. She also checks her lungs and heart, and the pregnant woman shivers when the cold metal of the stethoscope presses against her warm skin. Practically a full physical is preformed and Spencer is sent to pee into two cups in the bathroom. When that's done Dr. Campbell asks Spencer some questions and goes over the paperwork she had to fill out before the appointment.

Dr. Campbell then ushers Aaron and Jack out of the room, following behind them and closing the door, so Spencer can undress from the waist down. She's never liked gynecological exams, she always feels so violated afterwards, but she does what she has to do to stay healthy. She takes off her jeans and her panties and folds them neatly, leaving them on the stool next to the examination chair, then she sits herself down on the edge of the chair, putting the paper cloth over her lap. Doctor Campbell returns a few minutes later with Aaron and Jack.

The boys sit off to the side this time, as to not look at what Dr. Campbell's doing under the covering and Aaron hold's Spencer's hand while Jack reads a book from the shelf in the corner of the room. Dr. Campbell is reassuring, explain to Spencer what she's doing while examining her, and making her feel more comfortable than any of her other doctors ever did.

When they're all done with the examination parts of the appointment, Dr. Campbell leads Jack and Aaron out again so Spencer can get redressed and they come back in for one last chat.

"So Spencer, I'm giving you a list on prenatal vitamins and supplements you can take to make sure your body is in tiptop shape during pregnancy," the doctor was saying as she scribbled on a pad of paper, "And I want to see you again in a month. We'll do monthly until the end of the first trimester, and then we'll go into more frequent appointments. Eventually we'll be seeing each other every week,"

"Okay," Spencer nods,

"Everything looks good so far. I'd say you're about a month along and you're in great physical condition. Keep it up! I want you to get some blood work done, the lab is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; walk-ins are from 8:30 to 9:30. If you have any questions or concerns don't be afraid to call me and on your way out schedule your appointment for next month."

"Thank you Dr. Campbell," Spencer smiles as she takes the pile of papers being handed to her.

"Of course," Dr. Campbell smiles, "Take care now you guys, okay? See you soon!"

They leave the examination room together and stop at the front desk to make the next appointment. When they leave the doctor's office Aaron and Spencer are hand-in-hand with Jack a few paces ahead of them, skipping cracks and chattering on about his new baby brother.

Spencer laughs at Jack's excitement in between her conversation with Aaron, and sometime during the walk her hand seems to find its way to her belly. It's resting on the spot where just a few months from now, it will be swollen with their baby.

_Their baby_.

She can't get over that. It isn't just _her_ baby; it's Aaron's baby too. They created it together now they're going to raise it together with Jack as his or her big brother.

They're going to be a family.

Family. Spencer smiles at the word.

Finally, she's going to have the family that she always wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

Spencer wakes up from a particularly fretful sleep to the sound of her phone ringing on the bedside table. She picks it up without looking at the caller ID and mumbles a lazy, "Hello?" into the receiver.

"Hey Spence," it's JJ, "We got a case, can you come into the office?"

"'Course," Spencer mutters sleepily as she sits up in her bed, "Be there in no time."

"Great, thanks." JJ says distractedly, and Spencer says a quick 'goodbye' before she hangs up. She allows herself to sit for a minute in the warmth of her blanket cocoon before she glances at the clock. It's four thirty in the morning. _Swell_, she thinks to herself as she untangles herself from the mass of sheets and blankets wrapped around her and then she makes her way to the bathroom.

She's definitely the first person of the day to use the hot water throughout the whole apartment complex, and while that's one blessing she counts, there's still the initial spray of ice cold water that makes her yelp when it hits her skin.

"Fucking shower," she mutters but relaxes into the stream of water as eventually heats up. Steam begins to fill up the small space, leaking into the whole bathroom when the confinements of the tub prove to not be enough, and Spencer wishes she could just stay in this moment of hazy warmness.

But she can't. She has a case to work.

A power wash to her hair and body leaves her feeling refreshed and she shuts the water off, quickly throwing her hair up in a towel and wrapping another around her slim body. She brushes her teeth and combs out her long hair in no time and then she's leaving the bathroom, flicking the light switch as she goes.

Towels go in the hamper. Her hair goes up on top of her head. Undergarments are being pulled on and pants are being buttoned. A white tee shirt is slipped on, her black hoodie is being zipped up. And then she's pulling one of her (many) pre-packed go-bags out of her bedroom closet before she's out the door.

In the car she has to push her thick, black frames up her nose almost every minute and she wonders why she just didn't try to put her contacts in before she left. When she almost runs a red light though because she poked herself in the eye while adjusting her glasses...well, she decides maybe it's a good idea that she didn't. It's turning out to be one of _those _days—the kind that you don't even have an adjective for—and it hasn't even really begun.

She makes her usual stop at the 24 hour Starbucks a half-mile from the base and when she pulls up at the drive thru to give her coffee order when she suddenly remembers: she's pregnant.

"_Fuck_!"

"Excuse me?"

Spencer hardly registers that there's a voice on the other side of the "talk-box" (as Jack calls it), "Oh no, no, no!" she says quickly, "I didn't mean to say that to you! I'm sorry! I'll just..." she awkwardly trails off.

"Ma'am, what can I get for you?" the unamused voice asks again.

"A large green tea please," Spencer says sadly.

Yep. Today is going to suck.

She is only two seconds late to the meeting. She was on-time getting into the office, but then her computer decided to reboot itself randomly and she had to spend a painful three minutes waiting for it to restart and install all those stupid updates. Her tea isn't tasting so great either and the small caffeine boost she's getting is nothing compared to the coffee jolt that she needs.

Also there's the distant whisper of the telltale churning in her stomach. That's the last thing she needs today, puking on the job.

She bursts into the conference room as JJ is beginning to introduce the situation and plops down into the empty chair with a huff, unashamed to show how irritated she is at the moment. Everyone stares but nobody asks questions. There's a quick moment where everyone chats among themselves, allowing Spencer to calm down a bit, before the blonde continues.

"Mt. Vernon, Iowa needs our help," she begins grimly and dives into the story of three Cornell College students who had been raped on campus. The body of the first victim had been found earlier this morning by a group of students who were holding a party in the woods, "Her name was Aubree Jensen, a senior at the school,"

JJ turns towards the projector screen where Garcia has pulled up crime scene photos and Spencer is horrified at the sight of what was once Aubree Jensen. She looks away, hiding her head in her hands for a moment to center herself. The twisting feeling in her gut is getting worse now, and she is trying her hardest to settle it.

"Are the police sure that this is the same guy who raped her?" Derek asks and Spencer can hear Emily make a noise of agreement.

"They aren't entirely sure, but they have a feeling that it is."

"Why is that?" Aaron asks in his usual inquisitive tone.

"Because of this," JJ says and the small gasps from her team cause Spencer to look up. On the screen, covering up the horrible crime scene photos, is a record showing that a month after her attack, Aubree Jensen went into a clinic for an abortion.

The sick feeling is back.

"We've seen this before," Aaron says quickly, quietly, in that way that means 'we need to get out there now.' He's always a man of patients on the job, but when he gets jumpy like this, everyone knows that there is no time to mess around.

"Ohio," Spencer mutters.

And then she's screwed.

She races out of the conference room and down the hall, turning into the ladies' room where she lifts the lid of the first toilet she can get her hands on. As she wretches into the bowl, everything races through her mind at once: Dayton. William Lee. Elle. The story that she confided in Spencer with. The moments after she'd been shot in her apartment.

She begins to sob as she recalls Elle's face as she spoke about the Fisher King—or, Randall Garner. The way he had reached into her...used her own blood to write on her own walls...the way Spencer's stomach is clenching with pain, it feels as if he's grabbing it right now, squeezing until she's crying from the pain.

She thinks about Aubree Jensen. The woman she once was. How she was found in the woods, practically ripped to shreds. Her stomach the worst of all...

"Ssssssh,"

Aaron's hand is rubbing her back as she holds onto the porcelain so tightly that her knuckles are white. It's her lifeline right now, the only thing keeping her from falling face-first into the result of her despair. The initial touch of his hand on her back sends a jolt through her being, but she relaxes into the touch and lets it sooth her until her stomach is settled.

Her tears however are nowhere close to done.

Aaron flushes the toilet as he hands her something. It's his coffee mug, and she peers into it hoping to see the steaming black liquid, but instead sees that it's water. She drinks it though, forcing down the leftover taste of bile, until there's not a single drop left.

It's total déjà vu from that moment in his bathroom. That morning she told him that she was going to have his child. That's a memory that calms her down a bit, enough to hold her over until Aaron returns to her, scooping her small body up in his strong arms.

"Aaron..." she begins but he cuts her off.

"I know," he says softly, "It's okay. This is a lot to process right now baby, I know."

"The others are probably wondering..." Spencer points out, motioning to the scene around them, and Aaron shrugs.

"Let them wonder,"

Spencer considers this for a moment before nodding, "You're right," she says and then lets herself relax in his embrace. They can't stay like this forever, like she wishes they could, but she can take advantage of this moment to help calm herself down.

And that's exactly what she does as she presses her face into the crook of Aaron's neck, and allows herself to feel so small in the protective wrap of his arms around her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Woohoo! Another chapter done! What's gonna happen next?! Oh wait! I know!

Hahaha.

Sorry guys, it's bad joke Friday.

Anyway! There's a couple of things that I'd like to go over very quickly about the story so far and the story in the future. If you'd like to read it, thank you! If you're going to skip it, I'm hurt. But. I respect your wishes not to listen to my rambling. I know it gets old some times lol.

Here we go:

1. If you noticed my season 2 references and went .GEE! then, I love you!

2. When it comes to writing cases, I don't feel very confidnet with my abilities. Therefore, I won't be writing cases very often. There was one in the beginning chapters, there is one now, and there will be a few more in the future of the story, but for the most part you will have to assume that they are working cases that come to them. I will maybe sum up a quick case here and there, etc. But for the most part they will not be mentioned a lot.

3. In relation to the point above, there have been small time lapses in the story thus far, and I'm not sure if they've been clear. It hasn't been anything major, just a couple of weeks or so, but I do that in my writing a lot. So! I will make sure to highlight/mention these small time lapses if they've confused anyone. Otherwise, I'll just say that HUGE lapses in the story will definitely be mentioned though.

4. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A POLL!

So, I'm not trying to call anyone out here, but a reader/reviewer named dhh left me a review last chapter that had me thinking. So really, **thank you dhh**! Because now this story is in the hands of readers like you!

Pretty much, the question of what gender the baby will be came up. And I will admit that I was planning on having a female baby. But! I am willing to go either way now. I want to know what you, as my readers, want! I am willing to roll with it based on what will please you!

So here's how this is going to work: leave a review or send me a PM.

B=GIRL!

Just kidding.

B = Boy

G = Girl

S = Surprise me, or you can use this as an "i don't care."

I'm only going to keep the poll open for 5 more chapters (because the sex of the baby won't come up until sometime around then) so you have until chapter 10 is posted to put your vote in! If I get no votes, then I'll decide what I want to do but I REALLY hope you guys put your 2-cents worth in! It would make me very happy!

Alright, that's all! I'll stop writing this novel and go off to start on the next chapter now! haha.

~NxD.


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

It's JJ that comes into the bathroom to let them know they need to go. Aaron helps Spencer up and gives her a quick kiss as reassurance before he follows JJ out into the hall. Spencer knows that she's been given a few minutes to straighten herself up before she goes out to face the team. She smoothes out her clothing and splashes some cold water onto her face. She clears her throat a couple of times and fixes her hair for good measure. Then she looks right into the eyes of her reflection and says, "You can do this Spencer!"

She grabs her messenger bag, which she left by her desk, before she heads outside, but she leaves the green tea on top of a stack of manila folders. It's probably cold already and she didn't like it that much when it was warm, so she refrains from trying to stomach it at room temperature.

Spencer's pushing the door open when the strap of her bag gets caught on the handle. She doesn't realize until she's taken two steps too many and then all of a sudden she's being tugged backwards, falling down on her ass and banging her head on the closing door.

"Jesus Christ!" Derek shouts and then two sets of hands are assessing her, making sure she's okay. Spencer is shocked from the fall but she's not shocked to see that it's Derek and Aaron who have made it to her first.

"Spencer, are you okay?" Aaron asks steadily, fear written all over his face.

She rubs at the back of her head, wincing at the rising bump, "Fucking bag!" she screams.

"Hey, Spencer," Derek says and she looks up at him sharply, "What's going on today?" Spencer looks from him to Aaron and back. Derek takes a moment to glance over at Aaron, "Hotch? Do you know what's up?"

Aaron shuts his eyes tightly for a moment. When he opens them, he looks directly at Spencer, "Should we tell them?"

Now everyone is crowded around Spencer, who is still on the ground (and did she mention that it _hurt_), and they say in unison, "Tell us what?!"

"Alright, give me a minute," Spencer commands shooing everyone away with a flick of her wrist, except Aaron, who is on stand-by incase she needs a helping hand. She pushes herself up from the ground and brushes at the butt of her pants then untangles the bag from the door. Once she has herself situated again she nods to her lover, who steps over to take her hand in his, before saying, "So. We're pregnant."

oOo

As expected, all hell breaks loose once she's made her announcement.

She and Aaron try to keep their friends under control but that's not working out so well. Garcia alone can talk as much as the other three agents put together, and Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan seem to have more to say than usual. Spencer tries to calm them down, explain to them the whole story, but JJ the angel intervenes and ushers them all towards the black SUVs.

"We need to get going _now _people!" she says loudly.

Thankfully Aaron and Spencer are able to sneak into a truck alone, just the two of them. Spencer opens the passenger door and slides in while Aaron takes his place in the driver's seat. They're silent for the first few minutes of the ride, but eventually he looks over at her to say, "I'm glad we got that out of the way."

"Me too," Spencer admits with an eager head nod, "Even if they did go a little crazy."

"Well, Garcia is joining us on the case...what did you expect?"

Spencer laughs at Aaron's implication that Penelope starts mass hysteria, "You're horrible,"

"You know I'm kidding,"

"I know I do."

They fall into silence again but this time it's a comfortable silence; the radio plays softly in the background and Aaron takes Spencer's hand in his free one. It's a rerun of the million other moments they've shared like this while on a drive. But there's something uneasy lurking in the background, Spencer can feel it. She knows Aaron has something on his mind, but he's just not saying it. So she sits in the quiet of the car, relaxing and waiting for him to speak up.

As they're nearing the airport he looks over at her, "You know, no one will blame you if you'd rather sit this case out," he tells her quietly.

Spencer knows this. She knew from the minute she saw the pictures of Aubree's crime scene that Aaron wouldn't make her go if she didn't want to. But she's over the preliminary shock. She's had her moment of sickness.

Spencer lifts his hand to her mouth and presses a soft kiss to the rough skin, "I know babe," she says earnestly, "I knew from the minute JJ showed the crime scene that you wouldn't make me stay if I told you I wanted to leave."

"Well do you?" Aaron asks. He knows the answer is no, but he just wants to make sure she's not on the fence about anything. Otherwise he will end up making the decision for her, and she _hates _when he does that, even when he's right in doing so.

"Bear," she begins, "If there's one thing I've learned after six years on the job, it's that you can't fix what's already happened to the victims, even if you wish you could. But you can catch the bastards who hurt them. And while it doesn't bring the people they killed back, it still feels great to watch Derek sucker punch them in the face."

Now it's Aaron's turn to kiss her hand, "That's my girl."

oOo

They're in Iowa for three days and eight hours and while they're there one more girl is raped. Spencer always feels horrible when her team is in a city to help out and the unsub is able to get another victim before they can catch him or her.

When they find the monster, or Blake Ryder the janitor at Cornell College, he's trying to run away. Derek chases him down though, pulling him from the top of the fence he almost cleared. Spencer won't admit it out loud but she found sick satisfaction in Ryder's begging for mercy as Derek delivered several blows to his cheek anyway.

Once they have him in custody, Spencer asks Aaron if she can do the interrogation. To do this, she corners him right before he goes in to question Ryder and presses her body against his. She looks up at him with her best puppy dog eyes and finds herself running her fingertips up and down the small patch of skin revealed from where he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Honey, do you think maybe _I_ could interrogate Ryder this time?" she bats her eyelashes.

From the first look on his face, Spencer thinks she may have won.

But then he laughs right at her and her smirk falls to a grimace.

"Do you really think I'm _that _stupid, babe?"

"No," Spencer says, "But I thought I'd give it a try,"

"Well better luck next time," Aaron grabs the folder of everything the Mt. Vernon Police could scrape up on Ryder plus the mountain of information Garcia found. He heads towards the room they're holding him in but backtracks quickly to press a kiss to Spencer's cheek, "Love you, sweetcheeks."

"Yeah, yeah," Spencer rolls her eyes but as he walks by her again she delivers a swift, hard slap to his ass. _I'll show you sweetcheeks_, she thinks.

Aaron yelps and gives her a scandalized look before he heads off down the hallway.

Yeah. She totally wins this one.

oOo

Spencer loves her job at the BAU, don't get her wrong, she loves going on a job and helping out. She loves putting together the puzzle of a criminal's mind, loves it even more when they end up behind bars, or somewhere where they can get the help that they need. But the part she loves most about a trip is returning home once they've cracked a case.

What she loves even more than returning home though, is when Aaron leans over and whispers into her ear, "Jack is going to be at Jessica's for another day..."

They get back to Quantico around midnight and Spencer is still wired from the adrenaline rush working gives her. She says goodbye and goodnight to everyone in the parking lot, promising full details on _everything _when they get into work the next day, and meets up with Aaron at his Range Rover.

"Hey there big boy," she says leaning in the passenger side window, laughing as his head jolted slightly from the surprise of the moment. He looks up from the text he's sending to give her his attention, "I was just going to leave my car here. I have everything with me. I don't need to stop by home or anything."

"Alright," Aaron nods and goes back to his text. Spencer slides into the passenger's seat and buckles up.

"Texting Jess?" she asks curiously when he puts his phone in its dock.

"Yeah, I was just making sure she didn't mind dropping Jack off at school tomorrow."

"And of course the answer was 'yes,' right?"

"Hey, you know I ask just to be sure!" Aaron reaches out to tweak her nose, "I don't want Jack to be a burden on her!"

Spencer bats his hand away playfully which causes him to recuperate and try his attack again. They end up in a cat fight of sorts, with Aaron in possession of one of her hands before Spencer leans in and makes his tongue as her hostage. The kiss goes from full of fun to flat our dirty in a matter of seconds and Aaron is the first to pull away, gasping for air.

"Save that for the bedroom!" he scolds her tauntingly.

"Well then get me there as fast as you can, Mr. Hotchner," she grins devilishly.

Aaron lets out a low groan from deep in his throat and closes his eyes, "Spencer Reid, you are going to be the death of me," he mutters as he turns the keys in the ignition.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:  
><strong>

YAY! YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN THE POLL! I LOVE YOU!

But to be honest, I know what I'm going to do with this whole pregnancy thing.

STILL! I want to hear your votes! Whether you want a boy or a girl and all. I think it's interesting to hear what my fans want to see! Also, if you want to start suggesting baby names that would be cool too! I can't promise I'll use them in this story but I might just use them elsewhere! I have a list of baby names for when I write. I think you're supposed to keep a list like that to name your kids one day...but since I don't want kids, I just keep it for writing purposes haha.

Also, I'm reducing the poll time. The next two chapters you have to cast any vote. After that, it's time to reveal what's going down.

AND LET ME WARN YOU NOW THAT THE FIRST LOVE SCENE OF THE STORY WILL BE COMING UP NEXT CHAPTER!

I won't always warn you...in fact I'm probably only going to warn you this time. But that's because the rating change from T to M is still kind of new. So yeah. Be warned!

Alright, that's all I have to say for now! Again thanks for casting votes! And keep your eyes peeled for what's growing inside Spencer's belly! Yay!

~NxD

P.S.

I just remembered this: I used "Bear" as a nickname that Spencer calls Aaron because I have a friend whom I called "Bear" all the time (his name is Aaron) and I think that it pretty cute when Spencer says it to Hotch soooo. That's where 'bear' came from.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

Hooray! Another chapter!

I've been thinking lately and since I began re-writing this story, I feel like this is the chapter that is finally making me feel like I am on the right path to writing a story as great as the 1st draft was. So I am VERY proud of this addition. It's explicit though...total M! If you don't like that, please don't read it.

And don't send h8tr comments pls. They make me sad.

So enjoy!

~NxD.

* * *

><p><strong>Seven<strong>

It's a wonder that they make it inside without indecently exposing themselves to neighbors, that's how much they are clinging to each other as they make their way to Aaron's apartment. Spencer keeps her body close to his, her legs wrapped around his waist as he practically carries her to the door. They make it past his typical routine and once the door is closed behind them and completely locked up, there is no stopping Spencer.

Her hands instantly find the hem of Aaron's button up and she slips the buttons undone like an old pro even before his blazer is off. He pushes both the jacket and shirt off at one time and while his hands are preoccupied Spencer takes the moment to begin working on his zipper.

Aaron lets out the dirtiest groan when Spencer slips his trousers down his legs, letting them bunch up around his ankles as she runs her fingers along his leg, right above his sock. He is leaning against the wall to support himself. He loves to watch her as she does what she thinks are painfully ordinary tasks, like removing his shoes, but what he sees as the dirtiest, sexiest gestures.

After a few moments of soft, teasing caresses the two shiny black Oxfords are out of the way and the grey wool socks are thrown somewhere that, when Aaron finds them in the morning, he will get a good laugh. Finally she slips his pants all the way off, leaving him in only his boxers, and she looks up at him with the most sinful eyes.

He scoops her up into his arms and carries her straight to his bedroom, still fully clothed.

oOo

Aaron lays Spencer down on top of the soft duvet, pinning her arms above her head, straddling her still-slim hips. She expects that in a few weeks they won't be as slim as she'd like.

She knows what he has in mind for tonight. He has the idea that he will dominate her; slowly strip her clothes from her body, tenderly kiss and caress her soft skin and finally get down to business, building her up with a long, hot tease and finally sending her over the edge, gasping and screaming and begging for more.

What he doesn't know is that Spencer has had this desire burning in her gut for days now, a filthy passion to have her way with Aaron.

So when he takes a few minutes to adjust himself, Spencer strikes.

She sits up on her haunches so that Aaron knows she does not want to be pinned down, and then crawls over to him and situates herself in his lap. She doesn't go in for a kiss straight away though, instead she teases slightly, running her fingertips over the soft yet aging skin of his cheekbone, his jaw line, dipping down to brush his lip and get caught, tugging the dry skin down to reveal wet gums.

Aaron takes her thumb hostage then: swiping his tongue along the tip of it and using his teeth to nip and scrape at the coarse skin. An involuntary cry escapes Spencer's lips as he finally releases her with a wicked smack of his lips and she decides that, she's not going to let her side track him again.

She straddles him, knees resting on the bed on either side of his body, and reaches out to tweak his nipple.

"Hey!" he laughs as he tries to grab her hand, but she quickly catches his attack, holding his hands off with hers.

"This is my show now buddy," she says in a low growl, sliding one finger up his chest, dancing them across the expanse of skin to his shoulder. She's leaned in so close that when she uses two fingers to lightly push him, he topples over easily. "Oops," she shrugs, obviously not apologetic at all, and then crushes her lips to his.

The kiss is sloppy but hot; like two teenagers about to go all the way for the first time. It's full of passion and lust and yet somewhere deep down there's extreme apprehension.

They haven't really addressed the fact that she was trying to keep the baby a secret from him since the day she told him the news on the floor in the bathroom. But he hasn't been holding it against her. She's still nervous as hell though, feeling as if it's the pink elephant in the room.

She pulls away from his lips and peers down into his eyes. He is looking up at her with the dutiful expression on her face and if Spencer were a kinkier person she might like to put him in handcuffs at the moment. She kisses his neck and his collar bone, trailing soft pecks down his body. She experimentally scratches her teeth along the tip of his nipple and he doesn't respond negatively. Spencer enjoys the surprised ripple of shock that goes through his body.

She takes a moment as she sits back slightly on her haunches, to realize that she is in control right now. She has Aaron as her slave. He is lying beneath her fully clothed self, practically naked, writhing from the pleasure she is causing him.

She is dominating the alpha male.

Aaron Hotchner is being submissive to her, for the first time in their relationship.

And it's now that her goddamn pregnancy hormones have decided to kick in.

She looks at Aaron with wide, fearful eyes that he matches with a gaze of pure tenderness. If it weren't for his steady, dark eyes she would not be so calm right now. She tentatively looks him up and down after a few moments, breaking the gaze, and takes in his beauty.

Aaron is nowhere close to _hot_ anymore; age has definitely taken its toll on him.

But you can tell that under Aaron's maturing skin and features, you can tell that in his day he was as hunky and hot as Derek is today. He has gained a few pounds over his six pack abs, though you can still tell that they are there; and his biceps have become more cushioned than rock solid.

His hair is going grey around the temple and his forehead might have a few more creases in it than it did just six years ago, when she joined the BAU. But he is still so handsome, so smolderingly sexy...

Quite frankly, he is perfect.

But then she notices the ruins that cover his flawlessness. They're dark and prominent on his body; souvenirs of a time she never wanted to go back to. Pure terror. Utter fear. Extreme panic. Nauseating anxiety.

She had been so worried that day Aaron didn't show up on time, and was MIA for hours. Constantly wondering where he could be, why he was so late, if Jack and Haley were okay.

When they told her that he was in the hospital, that he had been stabbed repeatedly, she felt faint. Derek had to hold her up, she almost fell down. Of course she was also recovering from a painful knee surgery, so she was walking with a crutch anyway. But the shock of the news hit her like a diesel train.

When she went to visit him though, she learned that he had not just been stabbed by the Reaper—oh, and it was obvious that this had been the handy work of that bastard—he had been _tortured_ by the Reaper.

He had been pierced with a knife, his flesh torn apart so slowly; it had been pure agony from what she could tell and Aaron, although he would never do so out loud, was probably praying in his head for death. But the wounds were not fatal, and he was left to suffer, only to be put through the pain of a harsh recovery.

Now, around this time, Spencer had been on the brink of realizing that she was in love with Aaron, although he was divorced and still very much in love with his ex-wife. She cared so much about him, that she was able to accept that he'd never be able to love her the way he loved Haley (if she was ever graced with the luck to land him in her bed in the first place). She was willing to be his anything, so that he could be her everything.

Spencer runs one single fingertip lightly over each scar, trying to erase the pain their memories cause. That's all she's ever wanted to do for him: be his sponge. Absorb all of his pain so he could feel halfway hole again, even when she herself was broken.

The day that she showed up at his doorstep, drenched from head to toe due to standing in the rain for so long, trying to gather courage; she would remember that day for the rest of her life. She was offering herself, after four years of a taboo attraction she used to fuel all of her fantasies and sexual encounters. And he took her.

For whatever reason she'll never know why.

All that matters is that he did.

She slingshots herself back to the present after going so deep into her past, and she looks at Aaron who is staring at her expectantly.

_Expectantly_, she drawls in her head for a moment, thinking of the only adjective she could use to describe his expression.

_Expectant. _

And then she thinks of another form of the word.

_Expecting._

She's expecting something, too. A baby. She's pregnant with a baby.

Her baby, Aaron's baby, _their baby_.

She stares in awe at the hand that has subconsciously migrated to her belly and then she stares at Aaron for a split second before she begins to sob.

"Hey, hey!" he says, sitting up to catch her as she crumples in on herself. She buries her face in his chest and cries into his skin. He rubs her back through her shirt and whispers soft words into her ear. When she has calmed down enough, she looks up at him and touches his face.

"I'm sorry...I just...I can't help but think about what an amazing father you are going to be to our baby," she says almost sheepishly, "You're just...you're an incredible person Aaron. You've been through so much. You've seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the _ugliest_! Foyet alone put you through hell and back and you are still here. You are a hell of a FBI agent. You are the most wonderful father to Jack. You are the sweetest boyfriend in the world...I just love everything about you!" she wipes at the constant tears flowing from her eyes.

"What I'm trying to say Aaron, is that I love you. I love you beyond words. And I hope that one day I can explain to our child how remarkable his or her father is."

Aaron gives her a huge, tight squeeze of a hug and then holds her at arm's length.

"Spencer, I don't know what to say to follow up to that; mostly because it would end up being an epic novel...but also because if I don't get you out of these clothes right now, I might go crazy."

And then he kisses her to shut her up.

oOo

"Oh my god!"

Spencer is laid out, spread eagle on the bed as Aaron controls her body. He had just spent a good five minutes toying with her: suckling on her perky nipples and massaging her perfectly round breasts in his large hands.

They are getting plumper with the progression of the pregnancy—she is a little over two months along now—and she can only imagine how big they will get from here. It's not like she started with a flat chest, but she wore a perfect 34B-cup for the longest time. She was now starting to buy Cs and since she was nowhere close to her second trimester she suspects they will get larger.

Now he is nestled in between her legs, kissing at the soft skin of her inner thighs and right above the waistband of her panties. She is writhing, begging for him to take the thin layer of cotton separating them away, but he is teasing her like there's no tomorrow. Finally, just as she's about to scream at him, grab fistfuls of his hair and force his face into her crotch, he puts his hands firmly under her plump ass and lifts her pelvis up.

She bends her knees up, almost incasing his head like a trophy down there, and he presses his warm fingers to her womanhood, slowly parting her swollen pink lips. She is soaking wet, she can tell as he opens her up. There's the distinct squelch of him pulling her labia apart, and then his thick fingers are on her.

She gasps at the initial scrape of his callused fingers across her sensitive spot, but then he uses his thumb to tickle her clit once before his tongue finds it was to the pea sized organ.

Aaron is the clit master. Haley must have trained him well, or he's always had the uncanny ability to pleasure a woman like a pro. He is not too sloppy, but not overly articulate either; he knows the perfect pace to tease her with. He uses his tongue like a detective uses his magnifying glass; he searches every inch of Spencer's privates, drinks in the smell of her sex and tastes her to his heart's desire.

Then slowly, when she thinks she's about to explode from his tease, he slides one long, thick finger inside. The sound that comes out of Spencer's mouth is practically filthy and she begs for his lips so she has somewhere to let out her bliss without worrying the neighbors.

As they kiss Aaron adds another finger, and then another. For what feels like ever, Aaron kisses her and licks at her nipples, and fucks her with three of his fingers, stretching her out for his member.

"Aaron," Spencer moans, "Aaron please..."

Spencer doesn't need to ask twice.

His boxers had been removed some time ago, and he brings his hand to his cock for a few long, quick strokes before he situates himself between her thighs again. He puts a plush pillow under her hips for leverage and she sinks her back into the mass cushioning behind her.

When he enters her, she is practically screaming his name, "Aaron! Oh my g...ooh...Aaron! Please," the last word comes out as a sinful whimper and Aaron, who wanted to take it slow and gently, can't help but give into her demands and thrust with all his might.

oOo

Spencer wakes up to Aaron shifting slightly to hit the snooze button on the alarm. Spencer lifts herself up to lean on his shoulder as she looks at the clock.

"Aaron! It's nine!"

"I know," he says casually.

"We're late! We're so late!" she cries, trying to get up and run around, but Aaron stops her.

"Baby," he says firmly, "I'm the boss. I can do what I want. I told JJ we'd be in late."

Spencer considers this for a moment before giving in and relaxing back against the pillows, wrapped in his arms, "But I guess that means we have to get up to get a shower relatively soon then, huh?"

"Fifteen minutes max," Aaron answers with a nod.

Spencer laughs, "Of course," and then presses a kiss to his lips.

Since they have fifteen minutes to spare, they figure they can heat things up in the bed to make it an even steamier shower, and they go from innocent kissing to a passionate game of tonsil hockey in a matter of minutes.

Now Aaron is kissing down her torso, pressing his lips sloppily to her skin.

When he reaches her lower stomach he stops and gives it a huge stage-kiss. "Hi down there," he says in his deep, growling voice, "It's just me, daddy. I just wanted to let you know that your mother is an amazing woman and I love her more than anything in this world. And your brother Jack is the coolest boy you'll ever meet and he will show you the ropes on everything! And you have a huge family called the BAU and they will love you more than you know! And I adore you. Everything about you," he rests his hand on Spencer's stomach now and she puts hers on top of it.

"You will be loved, so much, when you arrive."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

****Oh boy, oh boy guys! I am SO excited to share this chapter with you!

Let me just say that, Author's Note aside, this chapter is about 5000 words. And very, very detailed!

Which is why I need to explain just a few things:

1. I have brought up Spencer and Aaron's backstory in ONE WHOLE CHAPTER! HOORAY! But, I would like to think it's not like a clutter of information. It's told in a flash back. But since I am posting these chapters un-beta'ed (yes, yes un-beta'ed for now! but my lovely friend Jay has called dibs on the editing once she catches up with my other story) they might get a BIT confusing. I was re-reading chap 7 the other day and noticed a few typos and stuff.

So if anything is confusing, please just ask me about what you have a question on...don't just like send me a mean review. I'd get really upset and probably blog about how much I hate you. To be honest. Just be like "heyy sooo you were kinda unclear here could you explain this..." or like "oooh dude you must have been really distracted because this sentence sounds like a 2 year old wrote it, it's okay though maybs you wanna say..."

Ya know, stuff like that.

2. Also, I have timed this story up and, so, with all the time ranges I've given myself, this falls in January of 2012. So! I know the show aired through May of 2012...but. For the purpose of my story. Who cares!? I already changed a bit of Criminal Minds history in this chapter...

Which leads me to 3. Yeah, don't hate for any changes I've made. This story is already AU with the genderswap. It's kinda gonna stay AU so I'm not sticking exactly with canon.

Wow. I could have just said that to explain it all.

This isn't canon.

Okay! Well. you guys are ...REALLY GONNA LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO I EXPECT LIKE 1,000,000 REVIEWS ON IT! JUST SAYING!

Enjoy!

~NxD.

* * *

><p><strong>Eight<strong>

The one landmark of pregnancy that Aaron was able to share with Haley is the only landmark Aaron has to miss with Spencer.

She is a little disappointed, naturally, but holds nothing against him. He had these plans to see Sean in New York for months before she found out she was expecting.

It just sucks that he happens to be missing the four month check in, complete with ultrasound of their baby for the first time.

But, she has Emily, JJ and Garcia there for her, and they make it a girls' night—or well, afternoon—out; Spencer thinks it's will be great, though she knows that it's partially driven by her friends' desire to know more about her office romance with Aaron.

The explanation she had given the team with Aaron, the day following their return from Iowa, was just enough to quell any of Derek or Rossi's questions but the women had been itching to know more for weeks now. They would not hold back on the questioning.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Rossi have Jack for the afternoon; Dave getting to feel the joys of fatherhood again and Derek reverting to the big-brother mode. It makes Spencer smile thinking about all the fun stories he will have to share tonight over dinner.

For now though, she is sitting across from Penelope and next to JJ with Emily diagonal to her as they sit at the restaurant in Georgetown. It's a chilly afternoon, but it's sunny: a typical January day in DC.

Spencer is wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt; a typical outfit these days when she's not at work. She's grown almost twice her size in the past two months. Now she _knows _that pregnancy means a bit of weight gain and roundness in her future...but not this much this fast, right?

But JJ hasn't made any comments and her visit last month with Dr. Campbell went well. So she's sure she's fine. She's got to be.

"So Spencer," Garcia is chatting on, "You know that, when we figure out what we're expecting today...if you want to start thinking about, I don't know, a baby shower well...I know some people who would love to help out..."

"Garcia," Spencer laughs, stabbing a piece of her Caesar salad, "You will be in charge of the planning the baby shower, don't you worry!"

JJ and Emily laugh too and the tech analyst crosses her arms over her chest, "Okay you laugh at me now ladies, but you know how excited I get!"

"We love you Garcia," Emily laughs and puts her hand on the blonde's shoulder, "You're great."

"I know!" Garcia says in mock satisfaction as she chomps down on one of her French fries.

"Anyway Spence," JJ starts up again, "We have been dying to hear the whole Hotch story from the start. For months now,"

"So get on it," Emily says so bluntly that Spencer can't help but let out a loud laugh.

"Okay! Okay, I'll tell you!" she says, "It's an epic novel though."

"We have an hour before the appointment," Garcia says motioning at a fake watch, "Get started!"

"Alright..." Spencer sets her fork down and takes a long sip of water, "Where do I begin?"

Spencer knows exactly where to begin.

She was twenty two years old when she first laid eyes on Aaron Hotchner; fresh out of the Academy and ready for action.

She always had an interest in psychology, the study behind people's actions, and when she entered the Academy and found out they had a whole bureau for that...well, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life.

She had worked and fought her way through her time in training, ensuring she'd get the one spot they were opening up to fresh meat in the BAU. And when she finally graduated with the promise of going onto full time learning under some of the most skilled profilers, she knew she had accomplished something.

Meeting her team was great.

Derek Morgan, the jokester, was a good looking man who knew what he was doing. She found herself glancing at the tall, dark and handsomeness he emitted on a daily basis, but never found herself attracted to him in any romantic sort of way. Even from the beginning he was the big brother she'd always wanted and she was a third little sister to him; exactly as they are today.

Jennifer Jareau was a business woman if Spencer ever saw one. She had he head on straight and her shit pulled together. She wasn't an agent, no she was their media liaison, but being out in the field with the BAU on a regular basis, JJ had picked up a few things here and there. Spencer had been shy around her at first until the blonde cornered her in the break room one day and talked to her as if they'd been best friends forever. Spencer loves JJ, and always looks back on their first meeting when she wants a good laugh.

Unlike JJ however, Elle Greenaway had scared the living crap out of Spencer. She was sharp witted and equally sharp tongued. Her serious-set features did nothing to help either, and Spencer can remember how nervous she was the first time she ever had to ask Elle a question, alone while no one was around.

She had however opened up to Spencer, eventually, and Spencer was even sad to see her go; though she hasn't really thought about Elle in years. The first time she had was a few months ago, the night she and Aaron made love after the Iowa rape case.

Penelope Garcia, the computer guru, had been a doll right off the bat. Spencer actually had her first full conversation with Garcia, on her second day in the office. She had been using an old leather messenger bag from high school that had a vintage Star Wars pin on it. Needless to say, she had made a friend for life.

Jason Gideon was a different breed all together, and while in the end Spencer had made one of the deepest connection with him, she always felt so inferior when he was around. She knew this was because he seemed to always keep a straight face, of course, but there was something about their relationship that had Spencer striving to be the best she could be every day, in hopes of impressing him.

Aaron however had been the wooden arrow to her heel.

"What about me?" Emily interrupts quickly, "You didn't mention your initial reaction to me!"

"That's because I'm embarrassed, Em," Spencer admits.

"Why?"

"Do you remember how horribly I acted towards you?"

"You were scared,"

"I was an addict," Spencer says flatly, and everyone at the table is silenced for a moment. They all know it's the truth, she had admitted to her struggles with Dilaudid after the initial battle was over. But that still doesn't mean she's ashamed of how she acted.

"It wasn't your fault, Spence," JJ says quietly, putting her hand over Spencer's.

"I know," Spencer says, "I know," then she looks up at Emily, "I was scared of you when I first met you Emily. I was scared you'd find out what I was doing, tell the team, and think I was a dirty person."

"But I didn't," Emily says matter-of-factly.

"But you didn't," Spencer agrees, "And that's why you're here today with me as I figure out what gender my child is."

Emily smiles widely, holding back a tear or two and reaches out to hold Spencer's hand across the table. They share a moment, all four women, showing how much they mean to each other; sharing how true their friendship is. And they don't even say a word.

Finally though Penelope speaks up, "Okay, okay I'm about to cry which means: Spencer! Get going with the story!"

oOo

When Spencer was twenty two years old, a gawky young woman just shaking off adolescence but not quite filling into lady hood, Aaron had been her fantasy man. He was in the prime of his life, just about to turn 40 with his first child on the way and the love of his life on his arm.

The story of Haley and Aaron was well known around the BAU, and when she had heard the whole thing over a course of a week, sporadic bits and pieces from the most gossipy of the team members, she had wished for a month afterwards that she'd find a man like that.

She had been smitten by his looks that first day when he found her setting up her desk. His hair had been black then, all black, not even the slightest hint of grey around the temples. And he smiled so much more too. He had grinned at her, welcomed her to the team..._patted her shoulder_—god! She can still feel the heat from that touch, the tingle of where his fingers were on her body.

She had fallen in a snake pit, acquired a severe attraction to her boss. She was fighting fire with fire, but she didn't care, she'd never have to worry about any of her fantasies coming true.

Or so she thought.

Then they interviewed Chester Hartwick in Connecticut, and for a moment she had thought that she'd be watching Aaron and Chester fight: Chester trying to let out his pent up rage and Aaron using all his might to hold back a killer. To save himself and to save Spencer.

She had to jump in, doing the only thing she knew how to. She used the enemy against the enemy, self-destruction. She thought that if she could shove the truth behind Chester's life right into his face that she could stall him, even for a moment.

And she was right.

Ultimately, that's what saved them that day, and the conversation in the car ride home had been one that Spencer used to fuel her fantasies when she touched herself at night, for months after the fact.

Aaron had been so quiet until he thanked her for her help. And she, the poster child of modesty, had told him not to mention it, until he mentioned it again and she realized: _damn, I really did save our asses._

When he had told her that Haley wanted him to sign divorce papers, her heart had jumped straight from her chest up to her throat but she had swallowed it back, lodging it right where it hurt leaving her unable to speak for a few moments.

For the first time since she laid eyes on him, the possibility of having him in the way that she wanted him seemed somewhat promising.

Even if it was only in the slightest bit.

"The rest of us were in Indiana then Spencer," Emily says with a raised eyebrow, "Who's to say you two didn't get a little freaky?"

"Har har," Spencer mocks a laugh, "You're hilarious. Now let me go on."

The fact that Aaron had finally signed the divorce papers did nothing for Spencer's chances though. Hell, he had no idea how he felt about her and for the time being Spencer decided that he never would. Things took a downhill spiral from that moment, anyway.

Hotch was divorced and then Owen Savage is being cuffed in the middle of the street after Spencer talks him down. Aaron had been furious with her throughout the whole case in Texas and this was just the final breaking point. She couldn't help herself though, she understood Owen.

It was almost as if she blinked, that's how fast time was going. One minute Owen was being shoved into the back of a police cruiser and the next Emily was being shoved to the ground in Colorado, being kicked and punched and hit by the men of the commune. She risked her identity to save her teammate from the same harassment, and Spencer could only look on in horror.

Then they were in Vegas taking on one of the scariest cases in her life, and bringing up memories she had wanted to suppress. However it was almost a good thing that they were brought to light since she was able to crack the cold case of her neighborhood friend Riley Jenkins. And reconcile with her father. She hasn't heard from him since, and it's been three year, but she's okay with it she guesses.

And then as if she couldn't be fucked over enough, anthrax is released and she finds herself in a hospital bed while Derek eats her jell-o. Of course everything is okay in the end, save the close to 30 people who died, and she never gets another jell-o cup.

But she'd been happy to be crawling into her own bed a few nights later. In just a few short months, she'd been able to deal with a lot of shit, including a knee injury that made her a candidate for knee surgery at the end of the month.

"Morgan never did give you another thing of jell-o, did he?" JJ laughs.

"Jay-je, this is not a time to be bringing that up. I have yet to let it go!" Spencer says, obviously joking though there's a lingering sense that she's serious as well.

"I remember walking in on that moment," Emily says thoughtfully, "Watching you two bicker at each other like siblings...I always wondered why it wasn't you and Derek who got together in the end."

"Because Derek Morgan is my dark chocolate only," Penelope says hastily.

Laughing JJ replies, "You and Derek would never, ever sleep together. Don't try to lie to us Pen. You and Kevin Lynch are a match made in heaven."

"What can I say?" Penelope laughs, "There's something so romantic about getting to know somebody while trying to break down their computer security system."

"Of course there is sweetheart," Emily says, patting her hand. "Of course there is."

Spencer takes this moment to wave for the check. They don't have to leave just yet, but they should start wrapping things up. Of course this stirs up an argument about who is paying the bill, and while Emily is explaining that Spencer should _not _have to pay for all of their meals on such a special day, she slips the waitress her card.

She knows their hearts are in the right place, but no one is going to complain when they see her sign the receipt. Plus, she doesn't mind doing this for them. She's never really done this 'girls' day out' thing.

"So then what happened?" Penelope asks, looping her arm through Spencer's. The women are walking down the street to Dr. Campbell's office and there is still unfinished business from the restaurant. Spencer hasn't finished her epic love story yet.

"Aye, aye, aye," she rolls her eyes jokingly but grins, "Okay. What happened next?"

They thought they were done with the Reaper, for the time being, after their incident with him in Boston. He had made a mess out of their job, driving Aaron crazy, but they didn't think he'd resurface so quickly.

They sure as hell didn't think he'd be waiting in his apartment for him.

Spencer tells her friends what she was feeling that day, the day they found out. Just a day earlier they had been in Canada, everything had been fine. They'd stopped a dangerous killing duo. She'd had her surgery, was just getting back into the swing of things on the job, and then Aaron was hurt.

"That was a bad day for all of us," Emily says, because she was the one who found where he was, had sat with him until they could all come to see him. Figure out what had happened.

"I know," Spencer nods, "It was also the day I was head over heels for Aaron." She remembers the panic she felt when she found out that the Reaper had nearly killed him. And she remembers the panic she felt for Haley and Jack.

"What do you mean?" Penelope asked, "After that we got all worked up over Haley and Jack."

"Exactly,"

The three women give her a questioning look.

"When I realized that I had to protect Aaron's family, because that was the only thing that mattered to him...when I left him at the hospital to go organize everything I could for their protection...that's when I realized I wanted to see him happy more than anything in the world. Even though I knew that I might not be the one to make him happy."

Penelope sighs, "Oh true love,"

"Yeah, right," Spencer laughs stopping outside of Dr. Campbell's building, "Let's go, I gotta let the doc look up my lady parts."

They get situated in their examination room and do the usual pre-appointment things with the nurse. They have a bit of chit-chat time afterwards and Spencer is going to keep the story going, but Dr. Campbell is very prompt. There's an introduction for Emily and Garcia and a reunion for JJ and then all the focus goes to Spencer and her baby.

Spencer has to hand it to Penelope, out of the three women joining her today she knew that the zany woman would be the one who wouldn't be able to handle the story being broken up into different parts. But she holds her tongue the whole time Dr. Campbell is doing her examination.

When the doctor leaves though, a farewell to all four women with a wink and the parting words, "Good luck with the ultrasound," Penelope can't hold back.

"What happened next?!"

Spencer rolls her eyes and pulls the curtain from around the side of the table, giving herself privacy as she puts her undies and pants back on, "Of course."

"Come on Spence, keep going," JJ says obviously seconding Penelope's enthusiasm. Spencer doesn't think she can hear Emily interject.

"Fine! Okay, from there things got steamy..."

From the time Haley and Jack entered the US Marshall's protection the whole BAU was on edge, and this was because their fearless leader was about to crack. It's really _not_ a shock when Aaron stepped down from unit leader, and let Derek step in, but it still surprised all of them.

He had a lot on his mind, they all knew, and he really _couldn't _be making decisions. The Reaper had practically consumed his life. In his off hours he sat up reading the Foyet files over and over. In his down time on the plane he constantly called Kassmeyer, checking in, making sure everything was okay with his family.

The day that Kassmeyer was killed was the day their lives change forever.

Two more deaths happen that day, making the total a whopping 3.

All of them tragic in their own way.

Spencer remembers the moment the Reaper's heart stopped. It was if time itself had stopped, for just a split second.

And when she was finally able to run up the stairs after Aaron, it was if everything was moving in slow motion. The toe of her converse colliding with the wooden steps and she tripped.

There was grappling match with the carpet on the landing to pull herself up; but she won and set herself on her feet again. She could hear Aaron, could run right to him, but she had to orient herself first.

When she entered the bedroom, saw Aaron clutching Haley's dead body, rocking her back and forth, petting her hair and sobbing...

She thought her heart had been ripped out of her chest just as Aaron's had.

"Honey,"

Spencer snaps herself out of her memory to look into Emily's calming brown eyes.

"It's okay, don't cry," Emily wipes at the corner of her eye.

"Sorry," Spencer apologizes, wiping at her eyes now with both her hands. She's glad she decided not to wear makeup today, "It's this pregnancy thing...I cry over everything."

"Hormones are a bitch," JJ agrees.

"Let's get you down to ultrasound and we'll go from there," Garcia suggests.

Spencer looks at all three of her friends. They're he co-workers. Her team. Her _family_.

"I love you guys," she says, crying again.

"Aw babycakes we love you too," Garcia exclaims and the three women wrap their pregnant friend in a huge group-hug.

oOo

They go down to the ultrasound lab and are taken in right away. Spencer is laid out on a table, her shirt rolled up to her bra and her pants pulled down to the point where she's almost flashing her pubes.

Of course though, this quickness of entering a room means that the technicians won't be with her anytime soon, which means she has time to kill before the ultra sound begins.

Her belly is swollen and round, almost a perfect arch as she looks down her body from where she is stretched out. Spencer wonders if this is normal, and she's going to ask JJ but of course the women won't let her waste any time with her story.

"So tell us Spence," JJ says, "What happened after Haley?"

"Well after Haley I kept my romantic feelings on the down low, naturally..."

She had put her shot at romance on the backburner a while ago. But after Haley was killed the chance for chemistry between them was as likely as two positively charged ions trying to bond. It just would never happen, so she thought.

But that didn't stop her from being there for him. She loved him, even if she couldn't have him, and she would not let him suffer.

For the first few months, she was a silent spectator, letting others help Aaron with unanswered questions. Rossi had been a huge part of his life then, with his expertise in many of the emotions Aaron was feeling, and Jessica had become a confidante for him too. He spent much more time alone in his own thought, and for a while Spencer thought he might just quit the BAU and leave it all behind.

And then she stepped in. She was no seductress, just couldn't slide into Aaron's life and cast a love spell on him. But she had tried, she really did!

She wore the most seductive thing she could think of: tight khaki flare pants with her plain black converse; it was a Friday so the dress code was more lax and she wore her favorite stripped shirt with the scoop neck that showed a bit more cleavage than usual.

Aaron had been getting ready to leave the office early. He was going to pick up Jack at Jessica's and take him out to dinner and maybe a movie. Lately he'd been trying to do more father-son things with Jack on the weekends.

She had leaned in the doorway, rapped on the propped door lightly with her knuckles, and waited for Aaron to notice her.

He had glanced up from the pile of folders he was flipping through from where he stood at his desk, packing up his briefcase for the weekend. "Spencer, hi, what can I do for you?"

She wanted to turn around in that moment. Walk right out of the doorway, shout at the top of her lungs, "who are you kidding?!" but she didn't.

Instead she felt herself standing up on top of the slippery slope, on her tippie toes, peering over the edge. She was taking this chance on a whim. Aaron and Spencer never had a personal relationship outside of the office. It's not that they didn't get along; it's just that they never crossed paths.

And yet here she was diving in head first. She hadn't realized how much pain she was putting herself up for with this rejection.

"Oh, nothing," she had said, stepping into his office, "I just wanted to say 'have a great weekend,' is all..."

"And?" Aaron raised his eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

"And what, Aaron Hotchner?" Spencer asked, mocked scandalized.

"I have a son, Reid, I know when somebody wants something but just won't say it," he laughed and then suddenly his face hardened with concern just a bit, "Do you need vacation time or something?"

"No!" Spencer says a little too quickly.

"Is everything okay?"

Spencer had to look at Aaron, really _look _at him. He looked so genuinely concerned about her in this moment that one would never guess they weren't that friendly with each other. Their relationship, while Spencer found herself madly in love with him, was strictly professional. They never shared moments like this.

"I don't know Aaron," she finally said, "Is it?"—

"Wait wait wait!"

"What?" Spencer snaps at JJ.

"You were in his office, having such a tender moment, and you didn't get him right then and there?!"

"Because it doesn't always work that way!" Spencer cries, "Let me finish my story!"

Nearly half of a year went by before anything_ happened_. In his office that night, she had asked him if he was truly doing as "okay" as he said he was. She asked if he was actually getting help. If Jack was actually getting help. If they were trying to move on in a manner where they didn't forget Haley completely, but didn't try to sweep anything about her under the rug.

He had confided in her that night, over a glass of scotch in his office that he felt like he was a horrible father. She had asked him why, and his response was very vague.

"_Because_,"

That's what prompted everything. For six months Spencer found herself going over to his apartment after work; hanging out with Jack while Aaron cooked dinner for three, then helping the boys clean up the kitchen afterwards. They'd end their nights by settling on the couch with them for a movie or something.

Aaron and Spencer became friends outside of the office, but remained strictly teammates while on the job. They kept it up for nearly a year. The movies night and weekend trips to the park; Spencer was helping Aaron, giving him confidence that he was the amazing father that Jack made him out to be to anyone with ears.

And then the year anniversary hit.

"Hello Spencer!" a perky woman steps into the room, "I'm Lydia! I'll be conducting your ultrasound today."

She explains how it's going to work, gives her the simple run down, and then tells her that she has a few minutes before they'll really get started. Lydia has to run around and prepare everything.

"Spencer Reid, I am dying here," Penelope states as Lydia steps out of the room again, "Wrap this baby up! Fly the airplane home!"

"I told you it'd be long," Spencer says matter-of- factly, "You said you were okay with it."

"Now finish up," Emily agrees with Penelope.

"You guys suck," Spencer mutters and she tries to remember where she was, "Oh yeah!"

The year anniversary of Haley's death was creeping up on them, and Spencer's meetings with Aaron became more strained, he became more distant. While Jack was around he wore the biggest grin and played along. But when Jack was tucked into bed and it was just Spencer and Aaron awake in the apartment, things became tense.

It was a particularly jumpy night when things really heated up.

The next day would be one year since Aaron found Haley's dead body in their bedroom; since he beat a man who had tortured him—physically and psychologically—to death, with his bare hands. Spencer returned from tucking Jack into bed to find Aaron standing in the kitchen, hand resting on a bottle of scotch.

His attention was on the tile floor in front of him and he seemed to be seriously debating something in his mind, an internal battle that he was struggling to fight. Spencer took a step forward when Aaron noticed her socked toes on the tiles.

"One is red, and the other is tie dye," he had muttered, laughing despite himself.

Spencer had smiled, said, "It's habit," and taken two steps to close the gap between them.

Aaron wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her passionately for what felt like eternity, but was only a few seconds. When they realized what they were doing they quickly tore themselves apart, Aaron trying to calm the situation and Spencer freaking out.

"I am so...I can't believe...Aaron you have to understand!" she had rambled.

"Spencer, it's okay. Please, calm down. Listen to me! Spencer!"

"I can't...I've...I've got to go!" She found her shoes and her jacket, her car keys and her wallet, "I uh, I'll see you on Monday,"

And she had left, just like that.

It was the following night though that there was a rainstorm; a cold, dreary rain that forewarned the winter snow that would be falling in only a few short weeks. It was perfect for the memory that the day held, the day Haley died.

Spencer had considered calling Aaron all day but instead ignored two of his calls and deleted a voicemail. She spent the day walking around her apartment, reading her book on the couch and trying to make sense of everything that was going on inside of her.

And then she couldn't sit still any longer.

She threw on her oldest jeans and her rattiest tee shirt, found her shabbiest sneakers and an old raincoat she had acquired from a case. Then she was out of her house, running. She ran all the way to the metro station and took the train all the way to Aaron's neighborhood.

She knew the route to his place by heart and she followed it to a T in the pouring rain. Then she stood outside of his place for a good hour before she found the courage to knock.

But when she did, oh boy when she did, it was the best moment of her life. Jack was with Jessica for the night, after spending the day with Aaron doing things that 'mommy would have liked to do' and even visiting her at the graveyard.

Aaron had the place all to himself and he had the woman that he loved in his arms.

oOo

"And the rest, as they say is, history?" Emily asks, a smile tugging at her lips. Her friends are seated around her, anxiously hanging onto every word that she says.

"Yes, that's where we are now," Spencer nods.

They have been so caught up in their chatter that they have yet to realize Lydia has considered Emily's comment as the end of the story, and has begun to run the machine over Spencer's stomach.

"Well, actually," Lydia pipes up, "The happy couple is expecting twins!"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

So. I'm embarrassed. Do you know why I'm embarrassed? Because I made a really huge mountain over a really small molehill. Well. Maybe I had some reason to be a little ticked. But I did go over the edge by posting that crappy chapter 9.

But I still think chapter 8 was amazing!

Anyway, here's the replacement chapter 9. It's longer. Has more twists. And sex. More sex. Just a warning.

Yay!

~NxD.

* * *

><p><strong>Nine<strong>

Spencer is lucky that she has her friends with her, because she almost faints. One minute Lydia is telling her she's having twins and the next she is seeing big, black spots in her vision and trying to comprehend what is happening. The perky technician prints a picture for Spencer and leaves it by her purse before leaving the room to give her a moment. Garcia has removed herself from the room as well so she can celebrate the joyous news in the hallway while Emily and JJ keep the stunned woman grounded.

"Hey Spence, it's okay!" JJ is rubbing her back reassuringly, "Twins! Can you believe it?"

"Two of them," Spencer mutters, barely audible.

"What was that, hun?" Emily asks.

Spencer turns her wide, fearful eyes on her friends and says, "Two. Two of them. Coming out of my body," she puts her hands on her stomach and rubs lightly.

"Are you...upset?" JJ tentatively questions and Spencer's head snaps up from staring at her round belly.

"Are you kidding? I'm the happiest I've ever been!" Spencer cries, and wow these hormones are getting really bad because she's gone from panic to pure elation in less than a minute.

"That's what I thought," JJ smiles warmly and then looks at Emily, "Should we go check on Garcia? Make sure she hasn't knocked down any nurses with her flailing."

Emily nods and gives a knowing look, "Good idea. Spencer, we'll let you get yourself ready to go. Meet us in the waiting room?"

"Of course," Spencer nods and her friends each give her a pat on the shoulder and kiss on the cheek before leaving her alone on the table. She pulls her pants up so they're comfortably resting right below the jut of her uterus, which is swollen with _twins_. Rolling her shirt back down, she gets up and goes over to her purse and pulls out her phone.

Aaron answers on the second ring, "Spencer, hi!" he says quickly, breathlessly, as if he ran out of a room to take her call in private. There's a hint of nervousness in his tone too, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," she begins to say but her voice is thick and husky from being silent for so long, so she clears her throat, "Yes. Everything is just peachy!" she lets out a uncontrollable laugh and shuts her eyes tightly. So much for playing it cool, like she thought she could when she first picked up the phone to call Aaron.

"I don't have to be a profiler to know that you're lying," Aaron says flatly and the thing is, Spencer isn't really telling a lie, if she really thinks about it. There is nothing that is wrong. Everything _is _just peachy! But she's so scared to tell Aaron the news that she can't take it.

"Could you maybe...come home a day early?" she asks, feeling horrible. Aaron never gets to check in with his younger brother except for through the occasional email or phone call. Sean was the one who had written Aaron a letter asking him to please come visit, and Aaron had ordered tickets almost immediately after reading it. He's supposed to stay through Monday, but Spencer needs him home. Hopefully Sean understands.

"Spencer," Aaron says again in his calm, serious voice. It's the same one he uses when he talks an unsub down. Spencer is slightly irritated that he is choosing to speak to her like this, but she figures that she probably needs it. With this damn pregnancy thing, it's almost like she has multiple personalities or an explosive mood disorder. She never knows when a mood swing is going to come on or what will trigger it. It just happens.

"Hmm?"

"Is everything alright?" the way he says it the second time is almost a demand; requiring that she answer him. If she didn't know the only reason he spoke in such a way was because he was internally flipping shit, she might find his tone towards her appalling. But she knows that she's scaring him, and she needs to defuse this to the best of her ability.

"Everything is fine, Aaron. I promise," she begins, "I just..." fucking tears. They're spilling down her cheeks before she can say anything else and she curses her body's timing, "I just need you to come home."

"I'm changing my flight right now, love," Aaron is saying to her, and he must be on speaker because he sounds like he's a distance away from the phone and there's rustling in the background, "I'm packing my suitcase right now, I will change my flight and I will be there soon."

Spencer's hiccuping sobs prevent her from saying anything and she nods even though he can't see her. Finally she gets her breathing under control enough to say, "I love you."

"I love you too honey," Aaron replies, "I'll be home soon. Go take a nap, relax, please?"

"Okay," she agrees weakly.

"I'm going to hang up now, okay? I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," she says in agreement and hangs up before hearing his voice makes her cry even harder.

She has to take a moment then to sit down in one of the hard plastic chairs and put her face in her hands for a few minutes. She centers herself with deep, steady breathing and thinks of how she will be seeing her lover soon. Spencer hears the door creak open slightly and then someone is stepping in asking,

"Spencer?"

It's Emily.

"Hi," she looks up and from Emily's reaction her face must be as swollen as it feels. She can barely keep her eyes open they are so puffy, and every two minutes she is preventing her nose from leaking by sniffling.

"Hunnie," the brunette begins, taking a seat next to her pregnant friend, "Everything is going to be okay,"

"I know," Spencer nods, "I know. I just...I want Aaron home. I called him and told him that and...and I guess this fucking plethora of hormones just snuck up on me!" she laughs a little bit for the first time since lunch, and even though it's somewhat bitter it's nice to hear something other than a sob erupt from her throat.

"Gotcha," Emily nods with a knowing look, "Come on, let's get you home. JJ has some of her favorite sob films in the car for you and I think Penelope mentioned something about frozen yogurt..."

"You guys are seriously the best," Spencer actually truly laughs this time, and she leans over to give her friend a big hug, "Thank you Emily."

"Of course," Emily rubs her back and then adds, "I made sure that Garcia knows to get coffee flavored."

"Emily Prentiss, I love you."

oOo

Spencer is lying on the couch curled up in a blanket, head propped up on a pillow, watching _Terms of Endearment _with JJ, Emily and Garcia when Aaron returns home. It's almost eight at night and on screen Emma Horton is losing her battle to cancer. Needless to say, there are only two dry eyes in the room and they belong to the man who has just stepped inside the apartment.

Penelope pauses the movie when everyone turns their head to see Aaron, and something in Spencer visibly lightens up. She sits up quickly—but not too quickly—and says, "Aaron! You're home!" as excited as a child is on Christmas morning.

"Welcome back Hotch," JJ smiles as she and the other two women stand up to collect their things. They know that it's time for them to leave without even being asked.

"I hope your brother is doing well," Emily says, "I bet it was nice to see him,"

"Oh it is nice to see Sean Hotchner," Penelope mutters louder than she'd intended and then stares mortified at Aaron, who is laughing with the rest of the room, "I am so sorry sir!"

"Don't worry Penelope," Aaron waves a hand, "He'd be flattered to hear that you feel that way,"

"This incident will never be mentioned to Kevin Lynch, do you hear me?!" she cries dramatically and everyone gives her their word that they will keep it a secret.

"As much as I love seeing you ladies," Aaron addresses the three guests, "But if you'll excuse me and my lovely girlfriend..."

JJ looks at Emily and Garcia and then motions to the door, "We were just on our way!"

"Bye ladies," Spencer calls from where she's still comfortably lounging on the couch, "Thank you again for coming with me today!"

They share their last thank yous and goodbyes and then they leave, giving Aaron and Spencer the space and privacy that she's been hankering for since the ultrasound this afternoon. Aaron closes the door behind the three women and locks the door.

Aaron has made arrangements for Jack to stay with Rossi who, despite anything he might say about his feelings on children, loves to have the boy around. Jack is always equally excited to spend time with "Uncle Dave," and Spencer always enjoys listening to Jack's stories of his time with his godfather.

For now though, they have the apartment to themselves.

Aaron crosses the room and without a word situates himself on the couch with Spencer. He stretches out across the side that Spencer isn't currently taking up and she crawls the short distance to him, allowing him to scoop her up in his arms and practically cradle her against his chest. He puts his hand on her stomach and pulls her into a long, deep kiss that lasts for what feels like forever, until he pulls away growling, "God I missed you so much,"

Spencer lets out a low moan at his husky voice and reaches up to brush his slightly overgrown hair out of his eyes, tracing her finger tips along his jaw and finally resting on his chin, "I missed you too,"

Then Aaron obscenely wraps his lips around one of her fingers and sucks it into his mouth. And that's the last straw. Spencer tugs her appendage from his mouth and pushes herself onto her knees, straddling his waist and towering over him from where he's lazily sprawled on the couch.

She peers into his dark eyes, which are burning with passion, and she feels a burning sensation that sparks in her lower stomach and finds a way to slip down in between her legs. She groans at the feeling and leans in again to press their mouths together hungrily.

There's no foreplay tonight. No teasing. They get right down to business.

Aaron has taken his pants off and is working on his boxers and Spencer slips her panties and yoga pants off in one swift motion. She watches Aaron struggle for only a second longer before assisting him in the removal of his undergarments, tugging them off forcefully, revealing his swollen, thick member. Any other night she would touch him, stroke him, leave him gasping for air and saying the filthiest things to her. But she needs him inside of her—right fucking now—and so the joy of watching Aaron writhe as she sucks him is put on hold for the time being.

They don't even take their shirts off. As soon as their sexes are exposed to one another Aaron is holding Spencer's hips, pulling her into his lap and slowly coaxing his length inside of her body. Spencer moans louder and louder every time Aaron slips deeper into her until he fills her up completely, holding her there for a few moments. She touches their tongue together, tasting every inch of his mouth, before he takes hold of her hips one more time.

She's always loved riding him, especially when he looks at her with the hungry eyes that are consuming every inch of her right now. She loves to put on a show for him, run her hands over her body and through her hair, throwing her head back and letting out the most vulgar noises. But right now she just needs to feel him inside of her; she allows him to grasp her hips, control her, the speed and the force of their bodies moving together as one.

She splays her hands over his teeshirt clad chest, can feel his nipples hard as rocks under the soft white cotton, she maybe, accidently rubs her finger over them several times causing quick, sharp jolts through Aaron's body. She hides her smirk of satisfaction though, as the spasms cause him to interrupt their motions, sending unexpected waves of pleasure through Spencer. And then Aaron is getting louder, his usually deep voice about two octaves higher as he pants, "Fuck yes...Spencer I'm gonna...Jesus Christ I missed you,"

"Missed...missed you too!" Spencer squeals as she reaches down and touches herself, her fingers sliding in between her swollen lips. Aaron catches sight of what he's doing and literally growls like a lion over its prey. He quickly replaces her dainty fingertips with his large, callused ones and the feel of someone else on her most private part sends Spencer over the edge almost immediately. Aaron doesn't last much longer, and it's a beautiful moment their bodies moving together as they ride their orgasms out.

As Spencer comes down, breathing heavily, she rests her body into the curve of where the couch and Aaron meet. He slides his strong arm around her and his hand rests on her belly, on their growing babies.

_Babies._

Spencer still needs to tell Aaron that.

"Aaron..." Spencer begins at the same time as Aaron asks tentatively,

"Hey Spencer?"

They laugh at the awkward moment and then Spencer says, "You can go first."

Aaron smiles and says, "Thanks," and then he fumbles his words as he starts up again, "I...er I just wanted to say..." he takes a deep breath and then lets it out, locking his eyes with her, "My time with Sean was very useful, even though it was cut short—,"

"I'm _really_ sorry about that," Spencer interrupts and Aaron puts a single finger on her lips, shushing her as he continues,

"Sssh, Spencer, let me finish. I am so glad that you called me and asked me to come home. I love my brother, but I love you too. Do you know why Sean wanted me to visit? He has a new girlfriend. They've just reached a year in their relationship, and they're moving in together. He wants to take it slow, but this is a big moment for them! And I was thinking that, I want us to have a big moment."

"We are having a big moment!" Spencer puts her hands on her belly, "We're having—!"

"I know, I know," Aaron laughs, "We're having a baby!" Spencer scowls because she wants to tell him, _No! It's _two _babies_! But she doesn't want to rain on Aaron's parade. So she lets him go on. "There's another milestone I want us to experience Spencer, and it usually comes before this. But we've always been unconventional, haven't we?"

"That we have," Spencer giggles.

"Anyway…I picked this out just for you. And I've always like turquoise,"

Aaron shifts on the couch and Spencer looks at him puzzled, "Huh?" she asks, and then her eyes blow up like two balloons.

"Spencer Reid, will you marry me?"

Aaron is holding a small turquoise box and in the middle is a ring. An engagement ring. Aaron is proposing to her.

Holy shit.

She steadies her breathing, wills the tears from her eyes and tries to tune into what Aaron is saying,

"I'm not just doing this because we're having a baby Spencer," Aaron is explaining, "I have truly been debating this for some time now…almost four months. I love you, Spencer. I feel the same way I did when I knew I wanted to marry Haley. I know that I want you in my life, for the rest of my life."

"Oh Aaron," Spencer whimpers, and she can feel her bottom lip quivering she takes the box from him and studies the ring. It's a simple silver band, and a simple princess cut diamond. Just the way she likes them, as Aaron has obviously remembered. It reminds her of her mother's engagement ring. And it's Tiffany's.

Aaron takes the box back gently and slips the ring out and onto her finger. It fits like a glove, sliding on perfectly and it feels as though it's always belonged there. She looks down at it and then up at him and whispers, "Yes," before kissing him senseless.

oOo

They make it to the bedroom for round two and afterwards Spencer is lying on her back, her arms tucked under her head, Aaron lying next to her, their bodies pressed together. He rests his head on her breasts, and runs a hand over her belly, pressing kisses to her soft skin.

It's been silent for a long time now, and Spencer hasn't really noticed the lack of noise. It's been a perfect moment. Aaron seems to read her mind about the quiet room. He looks up at her, hair mussed in that cute post-sex way that makes him look like a little boy again. His lips are tugged into a lazy grin and his eyes are bright with daze of an orgasm.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me earlier?" he asks, genuinely curious, "I'm sorry we didn't get to it…"

"Oh trust me," Spencer purrs, "I don't mind at all," she winks at him and then thinks. What was it that she wanted to tell him? She can't remember now. Was it something about being engaged? Or visiting Sean? Maybe a piece of gossip Garcia told her today that he'll just laugh off, but might find some interest in.

Today. The doctor's.

Shit.

"Aaron,"

"Yes honey?"

"We're not just having one baby."

"Come again?"

"We're not just having one baby. It's twins."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

Okay! Back on track after that pissy moment! Which again I apologize for…it was a bad moment…I hope you can still love me!

_Love me for all that I ammmm! _

Sorry, that's a song that I used to jam to in the 90s. A*Teens, ever heard of them? They're my shit. Just saying.

Anyway! Here we go back on the story line. I just want to let you know that I HAVE REPLACED CHAPTER NINE WITH A LONGER CHAPTER. SO IF YOU DID NOT READ THE REPLACEMENT CHAPTER, DO NOT READ THIS. UNLESS YOU WANT A SPOILER. THEN YOU COULD DO THAT.

OKAY YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

~NxD.

p.s. _Expecting _is the first story in what I hope to be an AU. I will be calling it the Family 'Verse and I already have a sequel planned out if not a trilogy. And there will be MANY timestamps and side one-shots, etc. I'm hoping that maybe I can even do some artwork! I've been practicing my drawing recently. Although I'm starting from 0 talent at all so…we'll see how that goes.

Anyway!

I'm working on a said oneshot now. So. Keep your eyes peeled. Meep.

* * *

><p><strong>Ten<strong>

"What do you think, babe?" Aaron asks as he wraps his arm around Spencer's waist. They're standing in the foyer of the house they've just looked through. Jack and Jessica are with them and the perky real estate agent Jessica knows through her yoga class.

Aaron had called her over this morning to announce the news of twins. Jessica knew about the baby, but the plural of the word was a huge shock. It had been a huge shock to Aaron, too. When Spencer told him the previous night he had literally stopped all motion for a good ten seconds, completely frozen with shock. It was almost comical, if it weren't so adorable. He had babbled afterwards, cried, kissed her a lot…he stared at the small black and white picture, traced his fingertips over the outlines of their _babies_.

Now here they were looking at houses, which was all Jessica's doing. As soon as they told her she was whipping out her cellphone and calling up Candie.

No lie, her name is Candie.

And currently she's running her mouth about how _gorgeous _the house is and how they would be "fools to pass up such a _perfect_ house in their preferred price range!"

"Hey Jessica, could Candie show you and Jack the back yard, make sure there's enough space for lots of playtime?" Aaron winks at Jack who tugs on Jessica's sleeve eagerly. Jessica nods, understanding completely what Aaron means, and clueless Candie perks up and eagerly leads the two off.

Aaron and Spencer are left alone in the house and they take a tour alone, just the two of them. They want to see the house with their own eyes, not with Candie's motor mouth. This is the sixth house they've been to today, and she has a good feeling about it.

The foyer has a staircase to the second floor, two arch ways to the living and dining rooms respectively, and a hallway with several storage closets, a bathroom and at the end is the kitchen. Spencer likes the kitchen; it's the first thing that she wants to look at alone with Aaron.

They are a family that spends a lot of time in the kitchen. It comes from Aaron's desire to always sit down to dinner with Jack whenever he's home. It doesn't matter what a day holds for them; if Aaron is not traveling, he and Jack are eating dinner together. Spencer learned this when she began to spend her evenings with the Hotchners.

She quickly caught on to the fun of it, the three of them preparing the meal together, singing along to the songs that Jack liked on the radio until he ran off to watch TV. Then Aaron would switch on the music that they liked. Sometimes it was the mix station, a perfect blend of the bubblegum pop songs she despises (but always ended up singing in her head) and the classic jams she remembers belting out the car windows in high school. Sometimes it was the slow jazz station, and they would have wine. Once or twice they'd have too much wine and end up slow dancing together, stopping because the timer would go off, or a phone would ring, or Jack would come in asking, "how many more _minutes _already dad? I'm so hungry!"

Aaron wraps his arms around her waist, "How're you doing baby?"

"Fine," Spencer smiles, "I like this kitchen," it's big. The back wall has lots of counter space and overhead covers. There's a double sink and a dishwasher. The fridge is brand new, according to Candie, with lots of space and a freezer too! The island is the selling feature though, Spencer's always wanted an island in her kitchen. And this one has a pot-and-pan hangar over it. She's in heaven.

One set of counters wraps around and splits the kitchen and the dining room apart, and there are stools on the other side—perfect for serving breakfast in the morning. Spencer can picture it now, her family sitting at the counter while she passes their breakfast plates to them. Aaron, Jack, and their new son and daughter. She grins.

"Can you see it too?" Aaron asks, "All five of us in here in the morning, eating together while you run around making me food. Could I get you to wear an apron?" he slaps her butt with a laugh and she squeaks and glares at him, scandalized.

"In your dreams Aaron Hotchner,"

"Could I maybe get you to dress up in an apron sometime?" he asks, "Only an apron?"

"We'll see," Spencer rolls her eyes and pats his shoulder before breaking the embrace, walking into the dining room. It's a perfect sized dining room and she saw a dining set at Ikea that fits eight people. It will look great in here, she's sure.

The living room is perfect too; she likes the coziness of it. It's only a sitting room, as the owners have it set up now. There's a beautiful fireplace and a nice amount of room for toy boxes for Jack and the babies.

There's an archway in the living room leading to the fork in the hallway: left to the kitchen, right to the door or dining room, or straight to the back of the house. Down this way there is the den, some office space and the laundry room. It will be Aaron's office, she knows. He likes to be on the first floor so he can spring into action if anyone breaks in.

There is also a doorway to the basement. It's not completely finished, but it's not a creepy old cellar. There is a room down there where Aaron can set up his man cave. She knows that he won't suggest it out loud, but she was using his laptop the other day when her MacBook was in the shop, and she saw that he's been looking at home bars and billiards tables. If anyone in the world deserves a small pleasure, it's Aaron Hotchner. And she isn't going to deny him that pleasure.

"So this could be another den of sorts," Aaron suggests, "Or your office!"

"Or your billiards room," Spencer says, running her fingers along the zipper of his fleece, right along his collarbone.

"What?" Aaron asks, "That's crazy!"

"I don't have to be a profiler to know that you're lying," she teases, throwing his words back at him, and then wraps her arms around him, "You don't have to worry, I am giving you permission to have a bar Mr. Hotchner," she kisses his lips, "Just as long as the children are kept away from it!"

"Of course, of course," Aaron nods, "No children allowed down here! And I'll even let you use it sometimes!"

"Sometimes?"

"Whenever you want,"

"That's more like it," Spencer smirks before kissing him again.

They finish their shenanigans and continue looking at the house, going back up to the main floor before going up the staircase in the foyer.

Quite frankly, upstairs is perfect for them. The master bedroom is upstairs, complete with a bathroom—_with his and hers sinks! _(Spencer couldn't be more excited, she's always wanted separate sinks). It's spacious and Spencer can see her and Aaron settling down at night together, curling up in _their_ bed, in _their_ room, in _their_ house.

There's another bathroom upstairs too, for the kids, and a linen closet. There are too more bedrooms, too, one for Jack and one for the twins. Obviously they will not want to share a room together past late elementary school, but that's the beauty of the second room. There is a loft, a very spacious loft. The wall below it has built in bookshelves, and at the very end is the ladder to get up and down. One of the twins can move their room up there. The fight for the loft though, well Spencer can't wait for that one.

The house, by all means, is perfect for their growing family and Spencer looks at Aaron, "I love it."

"Do you?"

"I really do!"

"I have a good feeling about it. And it is right in our price range…in fact its significantly on the lower side!"

"Maybe this was meant to be then," Spencer says thoughtfully.

"It definitely was," Aaron says in agreement and then takes her hand in his, "Should we go tell Candie it's a done deal?"

"Yes," Spencer nods, "Let's."

oOo

They head back to the office with Candie while Jessica takes Jack to the park. The paperwork is dealt with, they arrange their meetings and their payment plans. Aaron and Spencer have bought their first house together. They meet up with Jessica and Jack for lunch and then Aaron and Jack are off to soccer practice.

Jessica gives Spencer a lift home.

"Hey Jess," Spencer begins awkwardly.

"What's up?"

"I um, I just wanted to say…"

She's just wanted to say a lot. For a long time. Since she started dating Aaron she's wanted to explain herself to Haley's sister.

But she never has, and Jess has never seemed to mind her, so she's never felt the need to. Now she does though, she needs to know that they're on good terms here, and now is the perfect moment. She looks out the window, closes her eyes and says, "I wanted to make sure that…you're not angry."

"Huh?"

"I wanted to make sure that you're not angry at me."

"Spencer," Jessica says flatly, "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," Spencer mutters, "I just…I'm Aaron's second…his first way Haley, your sister. I remember how upset Haley got at Aaron. How much he missed in Jack's life…he's so much more invested and me and these babies than he was with Haley and Jack."

"He was there for the pregnancy," Jessica says, "It was the growing up part where we were frustrated."

"I know he'll be there for the babies no matter what…"

"And I couldn't be happier!" Jessica smiles, "Aaron loved Hayley with everything he had. Aaron loves his son more than his life, as he's shown before. And he loves you, and your babies. You are his family now. You are Jack's family now. You're my family now, too," Jessica stops at a red light and rubs her shoulder, "Hunnie, I couldn't be more happy for you and Aaron! I know that Haley would approve of you two. I just know it. And she is watching you and making sure that you are safe and healthy while carrying these little guys."

"She wouldn't be frustrated that he's going to be more invested in the twins than he was with Jack?"

"Not at all," Jessica shakes her head, "Aaron has always had insecurities as a father, even before Jack was born. But we both knew that he'd be great. And he is a great dad to Jack, despite the friction work caused in their family. And since…everything…he has been the best dad in the world. These babies are a blessing, Spencer. They will give Aaron a chance to build up confidence in himself. To see how great of a father he can be!"

Spencer feels the tears coming on, "That's so true!" she cries, "He really is a great dad, I've been trying to tell him for a while now!"

Jessica laughs and rubs her shoulder again, and Spencer realizes that they're in the parking lot of the apartment complex.

"God I'm not gonna miss pulling into this thing," Jessica murmurs, meaning the parking lot. It's a pain to get in and out of and Spencer's glad that Aaron is out so Jessica doesn't have to deal with the chaos, and just use their spot.

"Me either," Spencer agrees. They're silent and Spencer clears her throat, "Thanks again for calling Candie for us, the house is perfect."

"Isn't it!?" Jessica says excitedly, "I'm so thrilled you guys found it! Jack loves the back yard, did you see it? It's fenced in and huge! Perfect for kids, ya know?"

Spencer pulls Jessica into a huge hug. The blonde woman only hesitates for a moment before she returns the hug. When Spencer pulls away she wipes a tear from her eye and she says, "I'm so sorry!"

Jessica laughs, "Don't apologize!"

"I just…I'm so glad that you're in our lives Jessica, Jack really loves you and I know Aaron thinks of you as his sister."

"I know, and I love my family. And I love the newest editions to our family, too," Jessica takes Spencer's hand, "So don't be shy to ask me for anything. I am here for you and Aaron!"

"Thank you, Jessica, so much." She smiles at her and gives her another hug.

Today has just been another perfect day.


	11. A Message from NorthernxDownpour

My dearest friends and followers:

I am deeply sorry to say that my stories will temporarily be on hiatus.

I know this is frustrating, especially since I am a bastard who leaves you with cliffhanger endings. However there's nothing I can do to change the situation that drove me to this decision so what's done is done.

Please stand by and I will try to get things in order to return to writing. Until then take care my lovelings.

~NxD


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